


The Devil's Brand of Humor

by NihilismPastry



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horrortale, Blood, Chubby Reader, F/M, Female Reader, Gore, Molestation, accidental bond, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:51:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 72,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8244946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NihilismPastry/pseuds/NihilismPastry
Summary: You weren't sure what you did to deserve this fate, to have your soul bound to a monster, but it was both a blessing and a curse. In a world where monsters eat humans, and need souls to leave their Underground prison, the mere fact that you are a human will get you killed.The only thing saving you was the fact you were soul mates with an insane skeleton with murderous tendencies.





	1. Exposure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You survive a fall that should have killed you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And brought to you by popular demand, a work connected to my story Red Pudding, Ladies and Gentleman I present....The Devil's Brand of Humor!  
> Note that I don't own Horrortale, that was created by Sour Apple Studios on Tumblr.
> 
> Warning: If you are not 18, then there is no reason for you to read this story.

You stared down at your hand, slowly moving each of the fingers. It didn't hurt, amazingly enough, and all of the digits could move. You repeated the process for your other hand, and was satisfied that the function could be repeated. You licked your lips, tasting copper in the process, as you slowly stood up. Flower petals fell out of your hair, and scattered down onto the grass and flowers that lined the corridor. 

You had survived.

The thought hit you hard, your breathing stuttered, and your eyes widened as you whispered the words to yourself. You had survived that fall, something like that shouldn't have been possible. It had to be the equivalent of jumping out of a window of a tall office building. When you had used your flashlight, the light hadn't been able to pierce to the bottom of the hole. At the thought of your flashlight, you bent down among the flowers and grass, letting your fingers rake through it. That was actually your husband's flashlight, part of an emergency kit he had let you borrow for your little trip. It was heavy and had excellent lighting, perfect for going on a search party with your family.

You searched the whole corridor, and unsurprisingly, you didn't find it. You gave a small sigh and sat down among the flowers again, bringing your knees up to your chest. You had no flashlight, no cellphone, and you were stuck in a mountain cave system. You supposed it could be worse, you could be stuck with the corpse of the cow your family was searching for. "Then again, if I made the fall, maybe Annabeth could too."

You snorted at the self-deprecating humor, almost able to hear your husband groan and tell you to get new material. You craned your head back, and stared up at the star dotted sky above. It was late now, no doubt everyone had piled onto the four wheelers and headed home. You doubted anyone would immediately worry about you, they probably thought you snuck home as soon as you all split up that afternoon. It probably wouldn't be until morning before anyone realized that you were missing, if that.

You fell onto your side with all the grace of a dead buffalo. It looked like you were stuck until morning then. That wasn't too bad, it wasn't the first time you had to sleep outside anyway. If you hummed some old Queen songs to yourself, and imagined the earthy smell was burning, it almost felt like camping with your step-father. Eventually your heart rate began to slow, and your eyes became heavy. Bundled up in your winter coat, and head huddled in your arms, you felt completely at ease. 

* * *

It was quiet humming that woke you up. A gentle melody that reminded you of a lullaby your husband would sing to you after a nightmare. You sat up, your back popping and shifting into place, and looked around. The sun was just rising in hues of pinks and yellows, and dew clung to the grey green grass. The melody was closer now, but it sounded like it came from inside the cavern, not outside. Your eyebrows furrowed as you stood up, and swiped flower petals and wet grass off your jeans. 

"Hello?"

The humming stopped, and you heard heavy footsteps come closer to you. You weren't sure who you were expecting. Maybe a wizened old hermit, a sweet little nun, or even a grumpy homeless guy. What you didn't expect, was a tall goat creature walking bipedal like a human, and wearing torn violet robes. Their eyes widened upon seeing you, and it hurried over. "My child, are you alright? My goodness, I knew it was a good thing I made my rounds early today." You took a step back when she came too close, and her movements faltered. "Ah, yes. You would be afraid of me, wouldn't you? That is fine." They gave a small smile. "My name is Toriel, and I am the caretaker for these ruins."

"You're...?"

Toriel extended a large furry paw towards you. "If you don't mind, I think we should talk on the way to my home. It can be dangerous out in the open like this."

You glanced back up to the opening, before looking back to the goat creature. Clearly you were dreaming, goats didn't talk, and the place you were in was no ruin. Everyone in Ebotton knew about the old mountain, but no one had actually excavated it. There was a lot of cemeteries up and down the mountain, so it was declared that no one could disturb it. Add the old legend about monsters inside the mountain, and you had a cauldron of superstition that would make the local Charmers roll their eyes. 

"Sorry, but I just can't." You said. "My family is waiting for me."

The goat glanced up to the opening above you both, and gave a small sigh. "I see...Perhaps you could go use my phone then? I'm sure a call from you will ease their worry, and they will be able to find you easier."

What she was saying was true, and you knew it. Real or imagined, if you could call your family, they would have an easier time finding you. You popped your ring finger as you mulled your options over, before nodding. "If you don't mind me?"

A smile curled onto the goat's muzzle. "Not at all, my child!" You didn't accept the goat's hand, but you did walk beside her as she led you deeper into the dark corridor. It soon widened into actual rooms, held up by columns made of a dusty purple stone. The ruins were surprisingly ornate, with beautiful symbols carved into the rock faces, some of them even had strange lettering under them. They almost looked like the words from the Charmers' spell books. 

Every so often Toriel stopped and solved some puzzle or another, so that you both could continue your journey safely. They were complex, if not a little crude, and we're spread out through the ruins. Most of them could be solved by flipping switches, or using counter weights, other times you had to follow Toriel's footsteps exactly or else some troubling fate would befall you.  All in all, it reminded you of a video game. When you told Toriel this, she gave a small laugh and shook her head. "It may seem that way, but us Monsters have used traps like this to keep out intruders for centuries. It was especially useful when our numbers were low, you could use less guards. All that needed to be done was set up a puzzle, and send someone to recalibrate it once in a while."

"That is pretty smart."

"The Royal Gaurd at the time thought of it, he was a very clever man." Toriel paused in front of an old tree that grew in front of a small shack. Red leaves were scattered all over the ground, and a broom leaned against the twisted bark. "Please forgive the mess, I didn't know I would have a guest today."

You gave a sigh of relief when you entered the small house. It was far warmer than the cavern, and you could smell something spicy in the air. It was a quaint little place, but the sparse amount of furniture, and clean floors seemed appropriate for a 'Keeper of the Ruins'. Toriel clapped her hands together, catching your attention. "I shall go retrieve my phone, I shall be back in a moment."

She went down the hall, her heavy footsteps echoing through the house. You stood their awkwardly for a moment, not quite sure what you should do. You only followed Toriel so you could use her phone. You doubted that earned you the right to poke through her things. Then again, you were still fighting with the idea that this might not be reality, so did it really matter if you did? You popped both of your ring fingers and your pinky to calm your nerves. You had been under an illusion spell before, and the colors were too bright for it to be the work of a Charmer. Plus, if it was a dream, wouldn't it feel like you had no control of the situation? Everything would happen at random, and you couldn't influence a different outcome. Yet, everything you did had a consequence so far. A consequence you helped create. 

By the time Toriel came back with a giant grey block of a phone, you had popped all of your fingers twice. She handed the device to you, then went to another hallway. You pressed in your husband's cell number, and put the phone to your ear. It rang a few times, before it got the dial tone. You frowned and tried again, just to get the same result. Maybe he was up on the mountain again, and couldn't get reception? You dialed up your parents' phone number, and got the same dull dial tone. Worry began slinking through your veins as you tried a few of your friends' numbers, your boss, even your pastor's. Each time you got that lone dial tone, and the request to try again. 

Maybe, if you were naive, you could think it was the phone. Such an old model probably couldn't even call the cops, never less a brand new I-phone. Or maybe say that everyone you knew was looking for you, and had no way to reach you thanks to the mountain's interference. But you knew the truth, you were stuck here in this ruin, with a creature the Charmers had always warned the city about.

Your eyes stung with unshed tears as you cradled the phone to your chest. A gentle paw touched your shoulder, and you looked up, the goat blurry thanks to your tears. "It's alright, my child. I'm sure they'll come to the mountain to look for you."

"But the mountain's huge!" Your voice raised an octave. "There's no way they'll find me down here, not even if they used the police dogs. I'll just become some photo on a missing persons list." 

"Then remain here with me." She spread an arm out, as if showcasing her home. "It's not much, I know, but it is a home. I have food and fresh water, a warm bed, and all the books you could ever read." You rubbed at your eyes, clearing the tears out of them. "In the mornings, I could even take you to that opening, and wait to see if your family comes back for you."

"B-but...you're a monster, right?" You said. "Wouldn't you want me to leave? Our Priests put you under the mountain, and sealed it away. Don't you hate me?"

Toriel sighed and gave a small smile. "I will not lie, your ancestors did an impulsive and irreversible act, but," She brought you close, embracing you with a warmth that smelled almost like a crackling fire place. "that does not mean I will abandon someone in need. I will care for you until it is time for you to leave, I promise."

Toriel led you up some stairs and put you in a small room filled with childish books, stuffed animals, and mismatched shoes. You snuggled into the blankets, and brought one of the stuffed animals close, desperate for comfort. Through your eyelashes you saw Toriel leaning against the doorway, tears in her own eyes. 

* * *

The next two weeks had a distinct pattern. You woke up, washed your face, and would go down stairs. Toriel would feed you a strange onion bun, and take you to that opening in the mountain. You both would sit among the flowers for awhile, you staring at the sky, while she read aloud from a poetry book by a writer you had never heard of before. 

 After a few hours you both would return back to her house, and she sent you to your room while she went about her chores. You would usually spend that time crying, and pacing the floor before Toriel told you to come eat dinner. Even though the routine was depressing, you felt safe. Toriel ensured that you were fed, and expected nothing out of you. In fact, if you didn't know any better, you thought she actually enjoyed your presence. Every time you came down stairs, she met you with a smile. Anytime you had a question, she was eager to answer it. Every once in awhile she would even come upstairs with coloring supplies and yellowed sheets of paper.

It was a comfortable existence, and though worry still ate away your sleep at night, you knew that your life was secure. If you didn't stay with Toriel, perhaps you would be worried. Likely hungry too, and cold...

Probably dead.

You stared at the wooden ceiling with a frown. You owed Toriel your life. If she didn't save you, then you would have died from exposure. Sure, she treated you like a child, and she often jostled you around, but it was nice. You perked up when you heard the door jingle, before it opened, revealing the smiling goat woman herself. In her hand was a tray with some pie slices, and dainty teacups with roses stamped on them. "Hello, I brought you up a snack."

You sat up and pushed some of the stuffed animals to the side so the monster could sit down. She handed you a slice of pie, and you dug into the rich dessert. It was flaky, warm, and had just the right balance of sugar and spice. Toriel had made this only one other time before, and that was your first night in. You swallowed the treat and set the empty plate on the tray. It made your stomach warm, and a sleepy feeling flooded your system. "That was really good, thank you."

"It's not a problem at all, my child." She waved off your gratitude, and her smile faltered. "However, it seems that I have business to attend to further in the ruins. Will you be alright, alone?"

You nodded, and decided against reminding her that you weren't a child. "It's okay, I'll probably just read a book," A yawn escaped your lips, and you used a hand to shield them. "or nap, I've been tired all morning."

"Very well then," She stood up and adjusted the plate, and ignored your grab for the tea cup. "I'll be back soon, please stay in the house while I'm gone."

You watched Toriel leave with her uneaten slice of pie, and the tea. Toriel was not one to waste food, she cleared everything in her plate, and would eat anything you left behind as well. Leaving a huge chunk of pie and enough tea to water her house plant was a bit strange. Then again, you didn't actually know Toriel, did you? 

Outside of the fact that she could cook very well, was by her own words 'old', and loved snails, you didn't know anything about your host. All this time you'd been caught up in your own problems, you hadn't bothered to get properly acquainted with your host. You could practically hear your mother scold you for your manners. 

You slid out of the bed and slipped out the door. Well, the best way to get to know someone was to see their home. Perhaps it was time for you to explore, and see what made Toriel, Toriel. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go, the beginning of this ride. I know the beginning is pretty dull, and has no Sans, but I want to start this story right, and with a little character establishment before it gets blown to hell by the Underground. 
> 
> You know what isn't getting blown to hell? My tumblr. http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	2. Homesickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toriel is a strange host, but perhaps she has good intentions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? Why is there so much love for this story? Y'all are so amazing, and y'all don't even know it.

Toriel's home really was quaint. Everything was cleaned nicely, and was organized in a way where it was neat, but easily accessible. You scanned her books, put in alphabetical order via author name's, and pressed a finger against the weathered spines. There was some on monster history, a few on cleaning tricks, more than its fair share of snail books, and enough recipe books to make Paula Deen blush in shame. (You even spotted one of the Southern cook's volumes on the shelf.) 

Well that confirmed two things you already knew, the woman liked to cook and clean. You left the living room, and went into the spacious kitchen. Just like the living room, her kitchen was immaculate. It would have put her culinary teacher's kitchen to shame. Even the wooden cabinets were polished, and had a fresh shine to them. You braced your hands against the counter, and pushed yourself up so your knees were on top of the counter. You tried to open the cabinet, just to come up against some resistance. Figuring it was just a stuck cabinet, you tried the next one...

Just for it not to open.

You shuffled around the kitchen, trying every cabinet and drawer available to you, and not a single one opened. Somehow, Toriel had managed to lock them from the inside. Even her fridge was done that way, and you knew that shouldn't be possible. "Maybe it's a barrier charm?"

Whatever the case was, this entire room was a clue that Toriel didn't trust you. That wasn't the most surprising thing in the world. You were a strange human, and a descendent of the people that trapped her people under a mountain. The idea that she would trust you right off the bat was preposterous. Though, in a strange way, that also hurt. Toriel was a quirky, but very kind person to be around. In a way, she was easy to get along with, so trusting her came easy.

You abandoned your search of the kitchen, and made your way back to the stairs. You paused as you stared at the second set that let downward. You hadn't been downstairs yet, and Toriel had never said anything about it. Maybe she had a cool basement full of dresses from her youth, and cool books. The thought made you giddy as you hurried down the steps. The steps led into a cavern made of the same stone as the rest of the Ruins. It was colder here, and you could smell something damp and rotten. You pressed your hand over you nose as you wondered through the cavern. "Did something die?"

 A loud bang echoed through the cavern, prompting you to pause. You could hear the thrumming of your heart in your ears, and all of your joints had locked up. There was another loud bang, this one harder and louder. Maybe it was Toriel, you hadn't seen her leave, so maybe she had another way out? You relaxed somewhat as you shuffled down the corridor. The noise persisted a few more times, it became louder and louder until you saw a gigantic violet door. As you approached, the knocking stopped, and for a moment you waited. No one called out to you, there wasn't the jingle of keys, there was just...nothing. 

You pressed a hand against the cold stone, and pressed your weight against it. To your surprise, the door didn't budge at all, hinting that it was probably locked. You popped your left ring finger as you leaned your head against the door. If it was Toriel, she would have called for you, right? Then again, it wasn't like she trusted you yet. Maybe she didn't even want your help for anything?

That was likely the case. 

You turned on your heel and hurried back down the corridor. Once you were back up the stairs, and in your room, you curled up in the blankets. In the end it looked like your search was fruitful, you found a new area to explore, maybe even a way out if the cave systems. 

* * *

Toriel was utterly delighted when she came back hours later. She even stuffed you with more pie, eating some herself this time. Her happy mood remained for the next several days. She hummed when she cleaned, and her steps were lighter. She even gifted you with a lovely new sweater, this one a bright red with horizontal orange stripes. At the same time, you noticed that she spent less time at the cave opening. Instead of spending well over an hour, you both would sit until she finished a single poem before taking you back to her home. 

On a particularly bright morning that this had happened, you wove some of the golden flowers into a small flower chain. "Um, Toriel, do you mind if we stay longer."

She looked up from the weathered tome, mint eyes wider than usual. "Whatever for?"

"My family, remember? They're looking for me." Toriel retained her 'deer in the headlights' look, making irritation spark in your mind. "If we're only here for fifteen minutes, that's not nearly enough time for them to find me."

"My child," Her voice was calm, but firm. "I have several chores that must be finished in a day. I know you are eager for you family to finally stumble upon you, but I am also sacrificing my time as well." She closed the tome and stood up, grass falling from her dress. "Let's go home, I shall make us a snail pie for dinner."

She reached out for your hand, and as usual you didn't take it. While most times Toriel would simply move on, this time she yanked your hand into her own. Your eyebrows furrowed, but you didn't fight it as she guided you back to her home. Even when you entered the building and went up the stairs, she refused to let go of your hand. It wasn't until you were sitting in the bed, that her grip loosened, and a soft sigh escaped her. 

This started a new behavior, one that truly concerned you. Everywhere you went, the goat woman insisted on holding your hand. Even when it was merely down the hall, or into the kitchen, her paw would encase your hand. But that cheerfulness remained, regardless what she was doing. You watched it all with a frown as homesickness began to double its attack. At night you clung to the pillow, wishing it was your husband. During the day you heard Toriel humming, and would imagine it was actually your step-father. Anytime you smelled food cooking, it reminded you of your mother. It was a rigorous and cruel cycle that ate at your patience and it repeated itself every day. It wasn't the monotony that you couldn't stand, your own life could be considered as such, but it was the thought that your family was out there, waiting. Being around so many tiny reminders of them was beginning to hurt.

Which was why you decided to slip out of bed once Toriel slipped into hers. You slipped on your socks so you could muffle your footsteps before going down stairs. The quiet pitter patter of your feet was muffled by the groans and shifts the outside made. While you never heard animals or bugs, you always heard the rocks groaning, as if oppressed by the weight of the world above. It beat the sirens and hustle of Ebotton any day. 

Your thoughts began to slow down as you made it to the front room. You hurried over to the door and twisted the doorknob, just to frown as you stared at it. The entire doorknob was a smooth copper with no obvious key lock. You pressed your fingers against it, trying to find a hidden mechanism, but only felt smooth cold metal. There weren't even knicks from wear and tear, a clear sign that it was brand new or a magic lock. You let go of the metal and fought the urge to pop your fingers. Honestly, she was a magical goat lady, why did you expect her to have a normal door lock. 

You turned and went back to the stairs, beginning the ascent back to your warm bed. You paused when you reached them though, gaze fixed on the stairs that led into the corridor. The door downstairs didn't have any obvious lock, and you had heard someone knock. Maybe you could see if the door would open from there, and lead you to her backyard? Then you could backtrack all the way to the opening. 

You peered up the stairs for a moment. When you saw nothing, you hurried down the stairs and into the damp corridor. Rocks dug into your socks and hurt your feet, but you continued forward. If you were honest with yourself, you didn't like sneaking around like this. You hadn't been raised that way, and you knew you should probably be honest with Toriel, but she didn't like to hear about your family. Besides, how did you talk to someone who didn't trust you.

It was only fair, right?

You finally slowed down, standing outside the giant door. From afar it looked like wood, even down to a nice grain and sanding, but you knew first hand that it was really stone. You pressed your hands against the door, cold shooting through your hands and making you shudder. It felt like a freezer was blowing directly onto the door. You removed your hands and pulled the sleeves of your new sweater down to hide your hands, before bracing them back onto the door. You took in a deep breath before forcing your body against it. You often bemoaned the fact that you weighed more than what was socially acceptable, but this was the first time that you were happy for it. Extra weight meant that there was more weight pushing against the door, trying to force it open. You braced your feet, and pushed with your knees, a low grunt escaping your lips. 

After awhile, sweat began pouring down the side of your face, and your hands had long gone numb. There was nothing you could do about the door, not unless you wanted to break your back. You stepped away from it, mopping off your face with the hem of your sweater. More than likely Toriel used a magical lock here too, or some type of puzzle you had no hope of solving. You turned on your heel and staggered up to bed, tears mingling with your sweat.

* * *

Toriel smoothed out her page for the third time in the last five minutes. The crisp scrapping sound grated at your nerves, and you almost looked away from the gaping hole to glare at her. It was painfully obvious she didn't want to be here right now, and it was killing you. Toriel had promised to take care of you until your family came back, not for all eternity. You popped your pinky finger on your right hand, and began to work on the next one. When you finally ran out of fingers, you sighed and hauled yourself up. Toriel glanced up from her recipe book, an eyebrow raised. "Is something wrong, my child?"

"Do you want me to go home?"

"W-why would you-"

"Please just answer the question, Toriel." Your tone was tired, almost downtrodden. "I'm not a little girl, even if you keep calling me one. I can recognize when a person doesn't want to be somewhere."

 Toriel opened her mouth, but the lines in her face smoothed, and she let out a short sigh. "I will admit that I don't want you to leave me. It's...It's been so long since I've even heard another person, nevertheless lived with one. I want you to stay with me and be my little girl." She closed the book and set it on her lap. "I know I'm a monster, and that it may seem odd at first, but I want to care for you! I can be a good mother to you, my child...If only you would let me."

 Is that all she wanted? You knew that there was no one in the ruins, you could figure out that much from your month living here. You could understand loneliness, it had haunted your life in culinary school. Having no one to speak to, have fun with, brainstorm and gossip? Solitude was both a great friend and a terrible enemy if not found in the right circumstances. 

But while you could understand, you didn't sympathise. She was keeping you from your family even though she knew you needed them, she didn't trust you even though you gave her no reason not to, and she had the audacity to ask to replace your family. 

You drew yourself to your full height and began to walk away. You heard a sharp call of your name, but you ignored it and hurried your pace. Another cry fell on dead ears as you made your way down a corridor that would lead you to the first puzzle. You were hurting her and you knew it. It was going to be death by exposure if she decided to kick you out. You gave a dark chuckle as you crossed the spike trap. "Looks like we're back at square one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all knew that summary was a lie, admit it. 
> 
> You know what isn't a lie? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com
> 
> Guys! Hey, guys! 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> The cake is a lie. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	3. Hypothermia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These Ruins are less plentiful than you thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter up! I'm really glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter, your comments is what helped push this new chapter out so quickly.

Toriel didn't seem inclined to follow you. That was probably for the best, after such a big argument, it was probably best if you both calmed down. You popped your fingers, enjoying the light pull and snap they made. Once there was nothing left to pop, you just pulled your fingers for the sake of pulling them. You should have felt regret, maybe even feel guilty about the things you said, but you didn't. You felt completely justified in your anger. She was the one who was keeping you away from your family. You were the victim! Forgiveness was never a strong suit, and your mother had always said it would be the death of you. If you had known how true that was, you would have worked on it a long time ago.  

A light rustling noise prompted you to pause. You twisted around, expecting to see Toriel glaring down at you, but found yourself staring at air instead. You twisted back around, but something warm and smooth wrapped around your ankle. "Hey, don't just ignore me like that!" 

You glanced down, and raised an eyebrow. It was a talking flower, almost looked like a buttercup if you squinted hard enough. "Sorry?" 

He rolled his single green eye. "Oh, I'm sure you are. Do you usually ignore people back on the surface?"

"No..." Not intentionally, anyway. Then again, your husband always accused you of being a little air headed. "Uh, I'm sorry about it, really. I guess I didn't expect to find anyone else here."

The flower hummed in agreement. "Guess you were looking for the Old Lady, huh? I can understand that, after all, you did just insult her in her own home, more or less." He glanced around for a moment, as if expecting her to pop out of thin air. "I wonder what you'll do now?"

"..."

"You pissed off the only person in the ruins, guess that means you're gonna die out here." He shrugged his leaves, a movement that looked more like he was just waving them. "Oh well, more food for the rest of us."

"Wait, Toriel really is the only person here?" 

"Of course, didn't I just say that!"

You had figured Toriel was lonely, but you thought that there were other people. You had heard knocking from that door, and it turned out to not be Toriel. "But..."

"But what? No one else means no one else." He made a small sound that you figured was a sigh. "The others either fell down, starved, or was murdered. Toriel was the only one to survive, probably because she's a boss monster."

"What do you-"

Flowey twisted its head around, flower petals pointed forward, before twisting around again. "We should get going, don't want the old lady to catch you now." Your eyes widened when he dipped under the ground, and popped up again just a few feet away. "Well don't just stand there, move it!"

While you were smart enough not to trust every stranger that came your way, you were also aware that Toriel was probably looking for you. That was more than enough prompting to deviate off the path and follow the flower monster. He led you deeper into the ruins, past small buildings carved from purple stone, murals that had long since faded, and a dry fountain that had a few coins at the bottom of it. 

"She'll never look here." Flowey said. "When she does her rounds, you can just back track to her house. All roads lead to home."

"Thanks." You shifted and brought two fingers together, trying to pop one. "Um...Why are you helping me? I mean, what does it benefit you?"

"It might seem strange to you, but humans are pretty rare in the Underground." He said. "Making sure you don't die right off the bat is very important. You know, monster human relations and stuff."

You were sure he was being sarcastic, but decided not to point it out to him. Instead you stepped into the fountain and picked up a few of the coins. They were a faded gold, and had a triangular shape on one side, and a date stamped to the other. "54 A.B. ?"

"After Barrier." Flowey said. 

"So this was made 54 years after that?"

"Technically later. You know, after the mourning, starving and trying to cobble together some semblance of normality." 

You dropped the money back onto the ground. You were pretty sure that a ghost or something would haunt you if you took it. You tossed the rest of the money onto the other side of the empty basin before laying down. You couldn't see over the high wall of the fountain, and that ensured you were pretty much hidden. It was better than a house, most people would think to look in one first. But a fountain with a sun like structure in the middle? 

Nope.

You shut your eyes and listened to the groan of the rocks above your head, and the light grumbles Flowey made right next to you. They soothed you into a dreamless sleep that helped ease your turbulent emotions. 

* * *

 High pitched yelling and cold vines woke you from your slumber. You sat up in the fountain, your back popping from sleeping on the hard surface.  Flowey glared up at you from the other side of the basin. "You need to get up, Toriel's coming!"

"So?"

His eye widened, before he wrapped more vines around you, and dragged you out of the basin. You felt like a puppet disobeying its master. "You can't feel all that magical energy? She's mad! If she finds you, kiss seeing your family again goodbye!"

You struggled to your feet as the vines slipped away from you and back into the ground. You had figured that Toriel would be upset, but murder felt like a bit much. "What should I do?"

"Run back to her place." Flowey said. "If you go to her basement, there's a door. That house was built over the original exit of this place."

With that, the plant phased into the ground, leaving no trace of his existence behind. You began jogging in a straight line, remembering Flowey's earlier words. 'All roads lead to home'. It seemed wrong to be going to Toriel's home, just to run away from her. It was like a final fuck you after all the things you said to her. And while you didn't think Toriel was right to try and keep you here, you also didn't think it was right to tear through her home to find a way out of the Ruins. 

You passed by a few statues, when you heard a wail of your name. You pushed forward, picking up your pace now. If Flowey was right, and she was mad, then you didn't want to know what she would do to you. You ran down the roads in a straight line, doing your best to avoid any of the bends. All roads may have lead to home, but you wanted to avoid dead ends as well. You'd seen enough movies to avoid that scenario.

The further into the city you ran, the less houses and shops you were finding. Soon they all cleared away to long expanses of purple stone corridors. A hiss escaped your throat when you caught sight of Toriel, coming from a path to your left. Another call of your name and a burst of flames caused you to stumble and fall in your attempt not to run into them. They were an orange-ish pink and reminded you of a sunset. It would have been pretty if the flames weren't so hot, and close to your legs. 

Toriel passed through them with ease, a disapproving look on her face. "My child, what on earth are you doing here? This city is dangerous, someone could really hurt you." She bent down and picked you up, an action that killed any reply you may have had. You weighed far too much for your height, and knew you were heavy. Toriel was ridiculously strong, and that scared you more than the fire. "Let us go home, my child. I'll make you a butterscotch cinnamon pie, and we'll forget this ever happened."

You curled your fingers into the soft fabric of her robes, all fight draining out of your body. You hadn't thought Toriel would react this way, and it was jarring. You flinched when the woman curled an arm around your waist, and used the other hand to pat your back. Your breath escaped through your teeth, and your ribs and spine ached from the pressure. 

The woman took you all the way back to her home, an awkward silence settling over the two of you. When she finally made it to her home, she went to the living room, and put you in the recliner. "I'll get your pie, I'll be right back."

You watched her walk away, fingers curled into fists and breathing heavy. Flowey had said that Toriel was mad, and she wanted to replace your family, and on top of it all she had thrown fire at you. If you became compliment now, she wouldn't let you go anymore. It would be like a signal that you were okay with this situation, when you clearly weren't. You hauled yourself to your feet, and took a step forward. When the woman didn't appear in the room with a fistful of fire, you hurried down the hall. You knew your boots was making a cacophony of noise, and that your breathing was too loud, but you didn't care. You went down the steps two at a time, nearly tripping more than once, before hopping the last three steps. 

Your fingers scrapped against the floor, but you ignored the sting as you pushed yourself up and ran again. You were so close now, you could even see the door in the distance. Your lungs burned from all the work they did today, and you knew your legs would feel like lead the next day. But as you slammed your weight into the door, you didn't care. 

Your eyes widened when the door actually opened, and Flowey could be seen just outside it, his vines sinking into the ground. "Don't just stare, idiot! Get moving!"

A wail from upstairs, prompted you to run. The corridor was cold and dark, if it wasn't for the small flower bobbing along through the dirt, you didn't think you could tell where to go. The cold swirled around you both, and your crossed your arms as you slowed down you pace. You doubted Toriel would follow you any further, and if she did...Well it wouldn't matter, right? Your train of thought rolled to a halt as a light filtered through the darkness. It was a pale white light that looked almost artificial and clinical, and the closer you go to it, the colder it became. It actually surprised you to begin walking through snow, instead of a tiled floor of a lab. 

Then, you passed a tree.

To most people, this would seem like a pointless detail, but to you it was hope. You had only seen one tree in the entire Underground, and that was in the ruins. A shrill laugh escaped your lips as your surged forward, passing Flowey in your excitement. "Hey, wait!"

You ignored him, an excited squeal escaping your lips. You were on the surface! More trees flanked you as you ran down the path, all of them scraggly pines covered in off white snow, but they were still trees! A sign of the surface world! As you crossed a wooden bridge, with gaps too wide to stop even you, a low rumble echoed through the area. You couldn't feel it in your feet, but you could practically feel the vibrations in the air. It was like someone had taken a shotgun, and had touched it off right by your ear. You stopped and twisted around, trying to look through the flurry of snowflakes to see if someone had followed you through the snowy forest. 

Yet you couldn't see anything through the snow, not even Flowey was visible anymore. You curled your index finger around your middle finger and squeezed. A satisfying pop echoed from the joint. Should you go back and see what made the noise, or continue moving forward? You knew people wandered the mountain all the time, what if Toriel followed you and got hurt? While you could hold a grudge, you didn't want blood on your hands. You began a slow hike back, hands in your pockets as the cold bit at you. If you had been a little smarter, maybe you would have snuck upstairs for your coat. 

"Toriel?" Your voice echoed through the area, with surprisingly good acoustics for outside. "Are you alright?"

 Another bang sounded, this one far closer to you. It shook the trees, and caused you to flinch back. "What in the-" Ice cold, hard, and sharp. Snow and ice fell on you, forcing you to the ground from the weight. You screamed out of shock, and managed to get a mouthful of the stuff, the cold numbing your mouth and throat. It felt like hours of you getting pushed and pounded on by the cold snow, your view of the light completely obscured by off white snow. When you finally stopped jostling, you found yourself laying on your side, body completely packed into the snow. 

You blinked away some of the snow flakes out of your eyelashes, and tried to push yourself up to no avail. You flexed the muscles in your arm, but they provided no movement. Your eyes widened, and you struggled to flail out your other arm, this one also not moving. Your muscles bunched and pinched, slowly becoming useless in the cold. You eventually stopped your efforts completely, your breathing slow as you just laid there. Your wet clothes clung to your body, and you could feel the cold biting through the layers. So now it was going to be death through either hypothermia or suffocation, and just when you made it out of the mountain too. 

Was it wrong that you felt cheated? That you wished you had never went to check on Toriel? Probably. You huffed out a laugh, the sound so muffled you could barely hear it. It was almost ironic really, you had finally escaped, and yet you were going to die. You were basically in the same situation as when you had first fallen into the mountain.

Cold, alone, and doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally leave Toriel...Maybe~! We also meet Flowey, who's rather eager to protect Reader, huh? Maybe he has terrible intentions hidden behind his helpfulness.
> 
> You known what doesn't have terrible intentions? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	4. Truth Serum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A skeleton makes a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all weren't happy with Reader last chapter, which I find hilarious. Maybe this will make up for it?

Dust clung to his fingers, the gritty texture scrapping along his bones like sandpaper. He knelt down and stuck his bones into the blackened snow, washing off his sin. It wasn't like he wanted to outright murder a fellow monster, but he wasn't going to let a cannibal stick around. He pushed himself back up, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. "heh, too bad. gonna miss seein' ya at grillbz."

He turned on his heel and trudged through the snow. It was falling faster now, probably had something to do with those magic blasts Trik had touched off. The idiot hadn't thought too far ahead, using stuff she wasn't made for. But he was going to give her points for style, his clothes were practically bathed in bright yellow glitter. The only other time he'd seen so much was on those old Mettaton reruns. Speaking of which, he should probably hurry and head back home, his brother would want to watch one before his story. 

He left the forest and headed towards a clearing. He paused as he passed by the violet door. It was closed shut as per usual, but the snow on the side was pushed away, revealing some of the stone floor under it. Someone had left the ruins. His gaze shifted as they caught sight of small boot prints standing out in the snow. Not many people in Snowdin wore shoes, and those that did were not nearly as small as these. His grin perked up at the edges, and magic pulsed through his bones. There hadn't been any fresh meat in awhile, going hinting certainly wouldn't hurt. And if his bro complained about him being late, well, a fresh hotdog would shut him up.

He followed the tracks made in the snow, his pace slow and footsteps quiet. Even though the trail was being covered, he couldn't startle the human. If he did, then they would put up too much of a fight, and that would alert someone else. He wasn't in the mood to fight another monster over a meal, those usually turned barbaric. Then again, he was hunting a sentient being with a proper thought process, so technically, he was already doing something barbaric. The line between right and wrong was pretty muddled here, and he was too lazy to try and untangle it. 

His steps slowed down as he came upon a pile of snow. It was pretty large, and had a frosted look to it. The snow was probably frozen from the looks of it. He walked around it, intent to follow the now covered tracks, when he felt a tug on his soul. His sockets narrowed as he turned back around. The tug was light, almost too light for a normal monster to notice. It didn't hold any power to it, and he couldn't even sense LV or EXP. Whoever was in there, was almost dead. 

Now that created three very different scenarios. Firt off, it could be the human he was looking for. Even though the tracks were now covered in snow, this could very well be the place that they had stopped. If it wasn't the human, it could be a monster, one that had decided to jump off the deep end and eat other monsters. And finally, the one he hated the most, there could be nothing there and he was wasting his time. 

While he could feel the pull of a soul, it could be a very dead soul that was lingering. Finding lingering human soul shards was far too common now a days. He sighed and let his soul frequency slip out of his chest. An electronic melody played over the area, acting as an echolocation of sorts for the other soul. A gentle hum and bright shade of orange pierced through the pile. Sans's eye sockets narrowed as a perfectly whole heart tried to reach out for his soul, answering his call. 

"well if it ain't my lucky day." He reached out with his soul to gather back his frequency, but it stayed outside his body, stubbornly reaching out towards the human soul. A low growl rumbled through his chest and he tried again, just to be refused. "fine, we'll try this the hard way."

His soul slipped his ribs and shirt, crack and chipped in so many places, it was a miracle it stayed together. He brought it closer to the human soul, his magic strumming through his bones as he prepared himself for what he was going to do. No one had attempted to fuse with a human soul, at least he hadn't seen anyone survive it. And since this soul was making his own act weird, he may as well try it. At this point, he had nothing to loose in trying it. If he succeeded, then maybe he could cross the barrier and get the necessary souls to get out of this place. Become a hero and all that jazz. Oh, and get something to eat. He'd really like that. 

He watched as his soul slowly cracked and flexed, a gaping jaw forming in the middle of the gray upside down heart. It looked like a rotting corpse that was hacked open by a drunken butcher. The smaller soul didn't back down from the threat, not even when his own soul hovered closer, and completely devoured it. He flinched backwards as he felt a cacophony of emotions. 

_Anger_

_Betrayal_

_Confusion_

He felt his magic rising in his bones in an urge to combat what was doing this, but he fought it back down. There was virtually no reason to feel them, and so it had to be the other soul. His own soul pressed its fangs into the smaller soul, orange seeping from its jaws, and onto the snow in rust colored puddles. He could hear muffled yet frenzied screaming, but he ignored it, even as his magic boiled in his bones. He was doing the right thing, whether his magic agreed or not. 

Soon the heart was no more than a pulp. Like water logged paper, balled up and torn to shreds. A shriveled unrecognizable piece that his own soul spat onto the ground. Huh, he was almost sure that wasn't supposed to happen. He stalked forward, phalanges outstretched, when a dark orange glow emanated from the dead looking soul. It floated into the air, the 'blood' floating with it. The soul swirled around d his own, reforming itself into the exact same shape. Bright gray marks resided in it now, showing off a curious pattern he instantly recognized. 

"fuck." He could only stare in astonishment as the soul phased back into the pile of snow. His own soul floated back to him, looking exactly the same, if not far more tattered. He let it phase back into his body, just for a loud piano melody to thrum inside his skull. A loud cacophony that managed to play over his own soul frequency, and send his magic into a frenzy. "oh, fuck." 

* * *

 It had taken him roughly an hour to clear away the snow, and retrieve the human underneath. It had taken him another ten minutes to trudge back to town with her in tow. Normally he would have just used a 'short cut', but he didn't want to risk it. Killing the human was now off the list until further notice. He glanced down at her, a sneer twisted into his skull. He wasn't sure yet, but this had to be her fault. This connection the two of them had, she had to have initiated it, but then he was the idiot who fell into the trap. To a certain degree, they were both to be blamed for their current predicament. "japed again."

He'd much rather be trapped in one of his brother's puzzles. At least then he wouldn't have a dead weight. He shifted the human in his arms, careful to keep his coat over her body. If anyone saw her, it'd be open season. No one would care about their...condition. Fresh meat was fresh meat, and it'd been awhile since they'd had any. He kept to the shadows of the town, avoiding anyone who wandered out of their homes, or the local businesses. A few would stop now and again, likely feeling his magic, but would move on anyway. He was glad he had the reputation he did, this would have been impossible without it. 

Eventually he made it home, the human pressed close to his ribs in an attempt to shield her from prying eyes. He climbed up the squeaky steps of his house, and pushed the front door open. It was quiet, not even the quiet snores from his brother. He was probably called by Undyne again, it was normal to find him gone longer than he was supposed to because of her.

And while he didn't like Undyne dicking with his brother, he also didn't want Papyrus to see the mess he was in. He clambered up the stairs to his own room, and used his magic to unlock and open the door. He hurried to his matress, and dumped the human on top of it. His jacket slipped to the floor, and her form began to shiver, a soft whimper escaping her lips. Even the piano melody in his head sounded off, as if it was being played by a half asleep Mozart. He bent down and let an annoyed hiss escape his teeth as he reached out and covered her mouth and nose with a hand.

It only took a few moments for choked sounds to echo through the room, before her eyes fluttered open. He added more pressure when her eyes focused, and the piano melody became downright chaotic. To add to the chaos, her legs and arms flayed around, trying to hit him, and failing. It didn't look like she had much strength in her limbs at all. Either she'd been in the snow longer than he thought, or she was a weak human. He ground his teeth together, and pressed her deeper into the mattress. "shut up and listen. I'm only gonna ask this once. what did you do?"

Her movements paused and the noises stopped, but the music remained loud and a cacophony in his head. He raised his hand away from her mouth, a string of saliva following it. He wiped his hand on his shorts, his gaze never leaving hers. "I-I'm dead?"

"not yet."

"So then..."She swallowed. "you're a monster? Like Toriel and Flowey?"

 "dunno who they are, but sure. why not." The cacophony in his head began to mellow into a slow, almost depressing tone."what, you were expecting to be on the surface?"

"I saw trees and snow." She said. "I thought that door might have led me...Stupid, I know." Her gaze left his face, to his popcorn styled ceiling. "I'm trapped and even further away now. I thought I might find a Charmer's station or something. Those are all over the mountain to warn off people from coming."

"well aren't you a treat." He drawled. "pretty stupid on all fronts, huh?"

She didn't respond, and her melody didn't change. He guessed, out of all her reactions, this was probably the best. Just looking down at her, he could tell she was naive. That dismayed face, and the almost tear stricken eyes were proof enough. "you don't even know what you did."

"Huh?"

Sans clambered to his feet, snatching up his jacket, and threw it on. "nothin'. look, i'm gonna get you some food, don't move or i'll throw you in the shed with the other scraps."

He left the room, and shut the door behind him. After making sure it was locked, he stared at the stained wood for a moment, before snapping his fingers. A series of blood stained bones pushed out of the floorboards, and blocked his door. Even if she wanted to leave, it would be impossible now. He nodded to himself as he trudged downstairs to go and something that wasn't made from her kinsman.

* * *

He came back up half an hour later with a bowl of soup. He'd found a dented can in the back of the cabinet. It was supposed to be saved for a rainy day, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He dismissed his bones with a wave of his hand, and entered his bedroom. The human was still on the bed, though she was sitting up now, his blankets around d her shoulders. She glanced over to him, her eyes lighting up when she noticed the bowl.

He wordlessly passed it to her,and watched her shovel the noodles and chicken into her mouth. Her face screwed up around her eyes, but she pressed onward. He wondered if she was still eating out of politeness, or if she was really hungry. Seeing this a good opportunity as any, he said. "are you hungry?"

She swallowed her mouthful of food. "Yes." A short worded answer, and said in an almost sleepy voice. 

He studied her face, his smile lifting up at the edges. "do you trust me?"

"No."

Huh, so she wasn't completely stupid. Then again, these were all simple answers, ones the truth serum didn't need to prompt out of her. He tapped his phalanges against the floor, mulling his options over. Finally he found d something that wouldn't be too obvious, but also would be the perfect safety check. "have you killed any monsters?"

"No."

The words were said in the same sleepy tone, and without any hint of body language, outside of cramming more food into her mouth. Looks like it was a success. Truth be told,the wasn't sure the dosage was large enough. Usually he used it on kids, and she was much bigger than the aver human child, regardless what her sweater said. 

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he spat out the question that had been been plaguing him this entire time. "why'd you initiate a soul bond with me?"

"I didn't."

He grit his teeth, his fingers itching to slam her down and strangle her. "you did. tell me why."

"I didn't."

The bowl was empty now, it sat in her lap as she stared at him with a blank expression. The piano melody in his head was barely playing at all, it was muffled and dreary. He snatched the bowl away, and set it on his cluttered floor. He then dragged himself up, and so snatched up the human. She didn't even react as he dragged her down the stairs, and put the door. He marched to the shed, and flu g the door open, the smell of copper and rot making his non-existent stomach growl. He shoved the human inside, and followed behind her. He glanced around the cluttered room, before his gaze fell on something large and oozing blood. 

He opened it up, before grabbing the human's arm. "you wanna keep secrets, fine." He shoved her face first into the container, her body landing with a light squishing noise. "I'll be back. maybe. that's the _large_ and _small_ of it, anyway."

He wiped the blood onto his shirt as he left, and slammed the door shut. He then pressed his now clean phalanges against it, causing a mark similar to the one on her soul to appear. 

She wanted to lie to him, fine. There was more than one way to skin a human. A day in the cold should get her talking. "nothing better than a marinating human."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who ever guesses first what Reader was shoved into, gets a Horrortale one-shot of their choice. Sans kinda gave it away. 
> 
> Anyway! So, the thing happened, and now Sam's and Reader have to deal with it. And if Sans's reaction was anything to go by, no, he wasn't happy. 
> 
> You know what is happy though? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	5. Changing Bases

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up to the set of a B-Rate horror film.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Moderate 
> 
> Hey guys. You see that Gore Level thing? I'll have one every chapter, that way you have a general idea of what to expect in a chapter. 
> 
> Low: Blood, organs, and the like will be mentioned, but not shown in graphic detail.
> 
> Moderate: They're shown, but we're not going all Saw with it. 
> 
> High: Bloods on the floor, organs are actively being ripped out., and wombs eaten.
> 
> I won't say exactly what will be seen in the chapter, to avoid spoiling it, but this is my compromise for the more squeamish people in the audience. 
> 
> With that said, please enjoy the story!

The taste of copper invaded your mouth, and prompted you to open your eyes. A dim light streamed down from a single, oddly shaped light bulb from the wooden ceiling. You felt cold, much too cold, and incredibly wet. You struggled to raise up an arm, and you're eyes widened when water dripped from your clothes. You gripped the edge of the flimsy container, and sat up. Water began pouring down your body, and your shuddering got worse now that you were no longer submerged. You struggled to your feet, just for something to knock against your leg. It really didn't hurt, it almost felt like you knocked a large loofah sponge. You glanced down, and you felt all the blood drain out of your face. You couldn't even bring yourself to scream as you stared at the long reddish pink hunk of flesh, bobbing along like a snake.   

Following it, you saw several more, all of them wrapped around each other in knots. Blood clung to them, and some of them had deep cuts that allowed you to see the inner walls of the...organs. You stumbled out of the container, nearly tripping and falling on your face. You backed away from it as far as possible, winding up against a rough wall. You slid down the wall, your sweater bunching up and making disturbing squelching sounds in the process. It made your stomach turn in disgust, and if you didn't risk becoming even colder, you would have taken it off. 

You weren't sure if you should scream or cry, both options seemed rather appropriate at the moment. At the same time someone had to pick you up and and put you in that container. Alerting them to your awake status probably wasn't the smartest idea. Your curled your head to your knees, shivering much too hard to pop your fingers. It was probably that skeleton, the one that had fed you. Honestly, it wouldn't be the biggest surprise in the world. He looked like a proper grim reaper with his glowing eye and blood splattered appearance. Oh, and he was a skeleton. That part really hit the nail on the head for you.  

You shut your eyes and took a shaky calming breath. In the stillness, under your own ragged breathing, you could hear an electronic melody. It was going at an easy and laid back pace, with some sharp notes thrown in now and again. You lifted your head and looked around the blood splattered shed, but didn't see anything that would contribute to the noise. Just a high wooden table, a few knives buried into it, and some black empty trash bags under it.

Oh, and the container of hell sludge. 

The melody began to play louder. It wasn't loud enough to overtake your own thoughts, but loud enough to be far more noticeable. Suddenly the door opened with a bang, and cold air swept through the room, making you shudder and the bags to drift upwards like ominous ghosts praising their master. Standing in the doorway was the skeleton that fed you, a blood encrusted cleaver in one hand, and his other shoved into his coat pocket. The two of you stared at each other, and the melody in your head became lower, but not changing.  

You drew your knees closer to your chest and hunched your body, trying to become as small as possible. You didn't want to anger the skeleton anymore than you already had. After throwing you into a serial killer's wet dream, you didn't want to gain another type of punishment from him. He silently walked over to you, his steps a laid back strut that was both cocky and uncaring. When he was in front of you, he knelt down, his single red pupil looking you over. With him so close you could smell the metallic stench of blood, laced with something spicy and warm. It was a strange duality of disgusting and interesting.  

"heh, thought i'd find you screaming and crying. guess i already missed that part of the show." He raised a bony hand to your face, causing you to lean backwards. He only continued to push closer until his thin fingers raked across your face, slicking something off. When his fingers were in view again, there was a red jelly like clot of blood on them. "so, here's what's gonna happen. i'm gonna ask a question, and you'll answer. got it?" 

"W-what if I don't know the answer?" 

"you better hope that isn't the case." He hefted the cleaver in his hand, the light flaunting off of it. "hate to _cut_ our meeting short."

* * *

 Sans stared down at the cowering human, gathering his thoughts. She seemed properly submissive in his presence, but still had enough cognitive function to speak. If the piano melody in his head was anything to go by, she was more weary than outright scared. "you fell down here right? how'd you get past the old lady?"

The woman's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, before recognition ignited in her eyes. Her piano melody became jerky, but kept the same initial sound. "I ran away. She wanted me to stay with her, but I can't. I didn't hurt her, if that's what you're wondering."

He watched her shuddering form, but didn't see anything outside of her weariness and cold. "anyone else know you're here?" She shook her head, even her piano melody didn't change. That made things much easier, in a way. Considering he now had to protect this dead weight, it was better to do it without any surprises waiting for him. Dusting fellow monsters wasn't his favorite hobby. 

He stood up from his place on the ground and went over to the table. With some amusement, he listened to her piano melody become a cacophony of noise, but he heard nothing from the actual woman herself. It must have taken quite a bit of dedication to put on that brave face, he idly wondered what it would look like to see it crack. He bent down and picked up a trash bag and ambled back to the her. Her eyes darted from the bag, to the meat cleaver in his hand. The cacophony was getting louder now, and was starting to bleed into his own soul. 

Fear.

As sharp as a knife and cold as ice. It curled around his soul and squeezed tight, making his own soul struggle to reach out to her. All his soul knew was that its submissive was in danger, and it wanted to get rid of said danger. Souls were fickle that way. They only recognized things in black and white, not the whole fucked up spectrum.

"on your feet." She did as she was told, her limbs shivering even more than before. "strip."

"E-excuse me?"

"i say something you don't understand? " He pointed the cleaver at her chest, the blade only centimeters from her cloth covered skin. "strip."

The melody in his skull had a halting quality to it, but it was quickly dismissed when he heard a loud crack. He could feel his magic squirm at the distinct sound of bones cracking. Another crack sounded, but the woman didn't move to take off her clothes. "I don't know how it works down here, but asking me something like that..."

_Crack_

_Pop_

_Crack_

"It's highly inappropriate."

Sans dropped the bag, and grabbed her hand. Her eyes widened, but the piano melody remained the same. He added pressure to her hands, and felt the delicate bones bend underneath. "what you're doin' now, is pretty fucking inappropriate. stop." He added a little more pressure, and nearly laughed when he heard her whimper. "now take off your clothes. unless you're wanting me to do it."

When she took back her hands, she let them wander to the hem of her sweater. She glanced back up to him, but when he made no point to move, she turned herself around. It made no real difference to him that she did that, all he needed was the clothes. The sweater was soon peeled off with a wet plop on the floor. Sans snatched it up and dumped it into the trashbag, her pants, socks, and shoes following afterward. However, her grey underwear were still attached to her shuddering frame. He grabbed a bra strap, and snapped it against her body, earning a weak protest in return. "this too."

She glanced at him over his shoulder, and the melody got louder and more chaotic. "Why? I mean you're a skeleton, right? Can you even...?"

He sighed and dropped both the bag and the cleaver, his trusty weapon making a loud clatter when it hit the floor. He wrapped a hand around her throat and twisted her around to face him. Her eyes were wider than they'd beenthis whole time, and he could see real fear on her face. He ignored her screams and chaotic melody as he gripped the hem of her bra. Her fingers scrambled to the hand there instead of the one on her neck, and he wondered if she had any self preservation. With a harsh tug, and a loud ripping noise, the cheap fabric was removed from her body, revealing her breasts. He jerked his hands away from hers and tossed the cloth into the bag. He reached down and hooked his fingers into her underwear. Her movements became damn near chaotic as she tried to claw at him, her blunt fingernails not even making a scratch into his metacarpals. He yanked on the fabric, and it too was ripped from her body and thrown out. 

The melody in his skull became deafening as he stared down at her, the hand on her throat tightening. She wasn't much to look at, as far as a human female went. She had more body fat than most of the ones that fell down here, and a haggard look to her that most of them didn't have as well. In the face alone he could tell she was older, likely a fully matured adult. She could probably feed a family of five for a week, if you count all the inner muscles and organs she was probably hiding. Hell, he almost wanted to crack her open just to see if she was the same as her child counterparts.

He sighed and drew a hand into his pocket. The dangling human glanced down at it, and he almost wanted to slow down, just to make her squirm. But it was going to be time for patrols soon, and he needed to be in his room when his brother knocked on the door. He slipped his item out of his jacket and shook it out, causing some dark blue lint to float to the floor. He readjusted his hold on her, angling his arm up, as he pushed down on her neck. With quick work he dressed her in one of his shirts. It was a bit big on her, but the rotten human smell, mixed with his own natural scent, helped completely cover her own. 

He began to drag the human forward, causing her to gasp and stutter something out. He ignored it as he opened the shed door and glanced outside. No one was wandering during around yet. He glanced back to the human, completely ignoring her soul frequency now. "you make a noise, i kill you."

 She shut her mouth, and he pulled her forward. A quick trek through the snow, and they were in his house. Loud thumps could be heard from upstairs along with off key signing. Looked like his brother was up and about now. He tightened his grip around the human's wrist as he dragged her up the stairs. A quick surge of his magic, and he unlocked his room door, a d slipped inside. He shut his door again, and locked it, before turning back to the human. They were rubbing their feet together, while their arms were crossed and body tipped forward. Her soul frequency was turbulent, but not a full on cacophony yet. He sighed and went over to his bed, and promptly fell down against it, smearing blood and sweat into the blankets. The human remained on the other side of the room, her back turned away from him.

So he had successfully dragged the human into his domain. Great. Now what do do with her? Soul Mate bonds were pretty rare among monsters, some never even finding the one they were meant to be with. He didn't even know any monsters that did, not on a level where it wouldn't be strange to ask that sort of thing. And now that he had her, what was he going to do with her? He had to keep her in a balance where she wouldn't want to off herself, but wouldn't get it into her head that she could leave either. Whether he liked it or not, she was his now, and he had to keep her alive. If he didn't succeed, his own mind would plague him, or the human would jump off the deep end. "nice little situation."

The human glanced back to him, but didn't face him fully. "What do you mean?"

"don't worry about it." He hauled himself off the bed when his brother knocked against it, demanding he wake up and help him with sentry duty. When his brother's footfall faded away, he spoke again. "you just stay here 'til I get back."

"Why though?" She turned to look at him fully now. "Y-you've been threatening me all day, and tried to drown me. At least Toriel tried to make me feel comfortable. I'd be crazy not to run away!"

He scoffed and brushed past her. "you see, that's the thing. you're not in the ruins anymore. the stuff going on here, is worse compared to anything the old lady could throw at you." He gave a gruff chuckle, that sounded far too dry for even his tastes. "if i let you out of here. well, let's just say you'd be _dying_ to come back." Her eyebrows furrowed at his words, but didn't retaliate as he opened the door. "now be a good girl and stay put. got it?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short transitional chapter of sorts. Sans has her, but now what? He now has to feed her, keep her from suicide, keep her safe, and the general messiness that is their marriage. Life is gonna suck for him.
> 
> Know what doesn't suck? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	6. Peace Offering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The skeleton presents a peace offering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> Guys, I'm late by a few minutes. Someone punish me.

After Sans left, and you stopped hearing noises come from the house, you screamed. It was a nice loud type of scream that made your throat sore, and made tears gather at the edge of your eyes. It was dramatic, and left you tired afterwards, but it was something your mother had recommended when things got stressful. Don't lash out directly at the other person, let out your emotions a bit, and then try to understand their reasons for doing what you felt was wrong. After brushing the tears away, you stalked over to the bed, and ripped off the baby blue blanket, wrapping g it around your huddled form. It smelled spicy like he did, almost like someone had lit a container of seasoning on his bones. The metallic scent was there as well, but not nearly as bad. 

You sighed and sat in a corner, as far from a pile of socks as possible, and stared at the door. You had tried to unlock it earlier. Jiggling the lock, kicking it, even scouring the room for a pin and trying to pick the lock. All of your tried had failed, and now you had a sore ankle to deal with as well. Maybe all of this would be easier to swallow if you knew why he was keeping you around. In Toriel's case, she was in desperate need for a companion. However. The skeleton seemed to be living with someone already. His brother, if the indignant shouts of the familial title was anything to go by. Earlier you had thought it was for sexual purposes. When he had asked you to strip, it was probably the most scared you'd been since falling down here. 

It may have seen stupid, especially since he was a skeleton, but the thought of being raped by a monster had your adrenaline running. He wasn't much taller than you, if you made a point of standing straight instead of huddled over, he was probably a bit shorter than you. However, his actual build was stocky, and he had demonstrated enough strength to snap your fingers like dry twigs if he wanted. You were pretty sure the entire ordeal would have been painful, and your guts would have been added to the container after the 'event'. 

But clearly that wasn't the reason, at least it didn't seem to be. Outside of companionship, sexual or platonic, you didn't see yourself as useful to the monsters. You didn't become a Charmer, you knew nothing about the monsters, and you weren't very important when it came to humans. So gathering information, which seemed to be the skeleton's favorite thing to do, would be completely useless. Not unless they wanted to talk about baking, you were pretty good at that. You could make some pretty mean macaroons. 

You stretched out your legs, a loud pop coming from the cramped joints. Well, you may not be able to get out of the house for now, but you were sure he was going to come back. When he did, all you had to do was run past him and out the door. Hypothermia be damned! If push came to shove, you could even go back to the ruins, and beg Toriel's forgiveness and wait on your family some more. They would be coming for you, after all. You didn't have any delusions that they were happy that you were gone. Not after all the things your parents had put you through. 

The pep talk made you smile, and a rush of determination go through your body. However, it was drowned out by that stupid song, which had been rather quiet, suddenly become loud and chaotic. Your eyes narrowed as your gaze drifted around the room. Next order of business: Shutting up that song. 

* * *

Sans stared out at the snow covered forest, three fingers hooked into his left eye socket, and head perched in his hand to keep it upright. The entire day he got the wonderful privilege of listening to the human's mental state via her soul frequency. At first it was a frenzied ditty that made his aching and sleepless head ache more than it already did, but by the third hour, it had finally calmed down.

If you thought an empowering piano calming. 

Eventually even that stilled down to a quiet and almost sleepy hum that died back enough for him to focus on his own thoughts. The Human was very expressive with her soul frequency. He knew that most monsters weren't as reserved as he was, but even they didn't allow their frequencies to run rampant like a child on a sugar high. The seemingly random shifts in tempo and sound was almost nauseating. He half expected to hear it go out completely due to its many shifts. That would be a blessing, a natural form of death would mean some fresh meat. He could practically feel himself salivating at the thought, and he felt his magic weakly scramble around, alerting him of his hunger. 

He sank deeper into his chair and glanced down at an open book under the counter. He had stolen a book on soul mates from the library before actually going to the sentry station. It was a faded piece written by the last royal scientist's wife, and written in a symbol laden language that was messy and hard to decipher. He flipped one of the singed pages, revealing a full spread diagram of two monster souls. There was an elaborate series of interlooping musical notes between both souls, as well as a chain connecting them together. According to the book, a soul mate bond was virtually the exchange of soul frequencies between two monsters who were in perfect harmony with each other. The frequencies were then opened between the two bonded monsters, allowing them to get a peek into their souls. 

All the information from one of the most respected historians in monster history, but even she didn't have a record on how a human-monster bond worked. It would make sense, it was forbidden for those types of bonds to properly manifest. He'd read stories about humans who were murdered by other humans, and monsters that were dusted then dumped into the ground for being caught in an unbound relationship. He didn't even want to know what an actual soul mate bond would reap. He sighed and slammed the book shut, glancing back up to the forest path he was supposed to be guarding. 

He supposed the first order of business would be to get her food. Human laced food was practically everywhere, and he doubted the human would want to eat her own kind. That meant a trip to the dump was in order, a pretty perilous journey in and of itself. He usually didn't scrounge around there, and the guard would be curious as to why he was suddenly taking the effort. The excuse that he was hungry wouldn't work out very well, everyone was. Maybe he could convince Papyrus to go with him, call it bonding time or something. 

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard light footsteps along the snow. A bright orange light bloomed across the area, and Sans relaxed somewhat. Grillby passed him by without a second glance, his flurry of flames far reaching, even in the falling snow. He held a slick black umbrella over his head, and had a large rectangular package under his arm. The brown wrapping was seeped through with red, and blood dripped into the snow. Looked like he had Doggo do some butchering for him out by the puzzles. The smell was too musty to be human though, he must have caught one of the surface animals then. 

Did the human have a problem with those? He probably had enough gold to clear Grillby out of stock. And if she didn't eat it, he could always give it to his brother and Ketchum cook it up. Maybe they could even add cave slug mash with it. The thought of a proper feast made his stomach scramble around again. He pushed himself up, and made quick strides to catch up with the fire elemental.

"hey, Grillbz." The fire elemental stopped, and waited for him to catch up. When he finally did. The elemental looked down, his flames popping a bit lower now. "looks like you caught something, yeah? what ya got?" A quiet yet deep voice explained something in a harsh language. Sans nodded, his smile turning up higher at the edges. "that's great. i'll give you five thousand for it."

"..."

 The elemental gave him a one worded response before continuing on his way, his flames expanding out again, crackling and popping loud enough to wake the dead. Sans watched the elemental go, before trudging back to his station. That was fine, he could just skip some of his inspections, and head to Grillby's to get a fresh burg with the fresh meat. Not as good as an actual feast, but it would be good enough to feed the human. Besides, if push came to shove, he didn't even have to tell her what she was eating. As long as she was full and moderately happy, his own life was assured. 

* * *

You had been dozing off when you heard heavy thumping and a loud voice downstairs. You scrambled up, the blanket pool I g around you waist as you sat up in the bed. You could hear the talking get louder, and it was soon evident that the person was talking, more like scolding, someone else.  Soon they were right outside the door, and you wondered if you should try to hide or something. Maybe even allow the monster to think you managed to escape. 

You didn't even get a chance for that. The door opened and shut so quickly, you didn't even have a chance to see the hallway. The skeleton leaned against the door, his grin still set in place, and hands stuffed in his coat pockets. "huh, you actually stayed out."

"Your door was locked tight." You said. "I didn't have much of a choice."

 He kept up his wicked grin as he sauntered over to the bed. He kicked off his tennis shoes, and sat on the mattress next to you. You shifted over, trying to get away from him, but he reached out and grabbed your wrist with a cold hand. Your eyebrows furrowed and you tried to yank backwards, but only succeeded in making him tighten his grip. "nuh-uh, treat. i need you to sit still a minute."

You wondered if he would actually take your hand off or not, but decided not to risk it. Nothing in this room seemed clean enough to be able to patch a wound like that. For the next few moments you sat in relative silence, that stupid melody still playing, and the thumps from inside the house adding to that. When the skeleton was finished with...whatever it was he wanted, he let you go, and twisted himself around, laying down on the bed. "That's it?"

"hmm?" He opened up the socket that contained his pupil. "what's it? you expecting an encore or something?"

It was more like you had expected him to actually do something, not just sit there like that. You shook the thoughts away and scooted away from him until you were on the other side of the bed. A raspy chuckle left him, but he didn't a scold you this time. Instead he dragged something out of his pocket, and chucked it at you. The small package almost fell out of your hand when you caught it. The package was circular and cold, but smelled almost like cooked meat and the spicy smell that was always clinging to Sans. 

You glanced back to the skeleton, but his eyes were shut, and he looked dead. There was no sign of movement at all, as if someone had ripped the battery out of his skull. You looked back down at the package and slowly opened it, the aroma be coming stronger as you parted the white paper. Your eyes widened when you stared at the prize, your mouth watering as your room in the burger. It was a thin slice of meat, and was drizzled in a bright red sauce that looked a little too thin. Other than that it looked perfectly wonderful, better than scrappy soup, pie, and onion buns. 

"I don't want it."

His sockets flew open, and he stared you down. "what?"

You raised yourself up, and placed it on his rib cage. "I don't want it. Last time I ate something you gave to me, I woke up in a bucket full of chum and guts."

He grabbed the food of his chest and sat up. The smile on his face seemed tight, as if it would split his skull if he wasn't careful. You winced when you heard the music become dark and chaotic. "look, buddy. i don't think you realize how lucky you are to have this. shit like this," He waved the hamburger around. "is pretty rare down here, so i suggest you eat." His voice took on a hard edge that are a shudder go down your spine. "or do you wanna have a bad time?"

He was trying to threaten you over food. You would have laughed if the situation was different. He almost sounded like your mother when you were six years old, and wouldn't eat your vegetables. However, your mother never looked like she wanted to hold you down, and obliterate your skull with a rusty spoon. "I can't trust you. I don't know your name, why you're keeping me here, or where I even am. So I'm sorry if I don't want to eat your peace offering."

His eye studied you for a moment before he dropped the food and it's wrapper onto your lap. The music seemed to die back to its laid back noise, and you made a mental note to ask him to turn it off when he was in a better mood. "name's sans, sans the skeleton. you're in my home in snowdin. and i'm keeping you  because no one else will."

"What do you mean no one else will?"

"i answered your initial questions." He poked the burger with a long, thin, and exceptionally sharp looking finger. "eat up. wasting food'll get you killed down here."

 You picked up the burger and held it up to your mouth. The skeleton stared, as if expecting you to do something strange. Maybe he didn't know how humans ate? It kinda made sense since he was a skeleton. Did he even need to eat? You dismissed the thoughts and took a bite off the corner of the burger. The bread tasted funny, like it was made entirely of baking powder, but the well cooked meat was perfect. It didn't taste like beef, and was a bit stronger than chicken, but was warm and fulfilling. As it seeped into your stomach, it tingled and spread the warmth around. You had felt the same thing with Toriel's food, it had even eliminated your need to use the restroom, but this one had more kick to it. Like eating a hot chili pepper, without having to deal with the tears and burning tongue. 

You glanced back up to Sans, who was still staring at you, before looking down at your burger. You didn't feel sleepy and dazed, and there wasn't a potent after taste. Maybe he wasn't trying to poison you again. You took another bite of your food as you sat in silence with your captor. The food was fulfilling, and by the time you were done, and fingers licked, you were ready to just lay around and do nothing. Strange, since you had done that all day, more or less. 

"good?"

"Yeah..." You brushed your fingers off on his shirt. "thanks."

He pushed himself off the bed and yanked you up. You struggled to your feet, almost falling forward in his haste. He stated you up and down for a moment, so close that you could press your lips to the top of his skull. He was shorter than you, going up to your collar bone, but with his red pupil, fractured skull, and all round sharp features; he was plenty scary without the height factor. Then there was his brutal strength and smiling face, you wondered if be ever thought of being a murder clown in a B-Rate horror film. 

A sigh from him caught your attention, and he gripped your wrist hard enough to leave a bruise, tugging you forward."we're gonna go downstairs. I gotta eat, and we gotta establish some rules."

"We can't do that here?"

"heh." He glanced back at you, his grin pulling up at the edges."trust me, you wanna do it downstairs. my bro needs to hear  'em too. not unless you wanna be an accompaniment with dinner."

You weren't sure what was so wrong about that, but you followed him anyway, eager to see outside of the four walls of the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we meet Grillby, Sans tries to figure things out, and the reader learns Sans's name. It's kinda implied, but I do think surface animals somehow make it into the Underground. Like that one rabbit woman walking a rabbit, I think she was actually walking a normal bunny. Even if that is kinda weird.
> 
> Know what isn't weird? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	7. The Devil and Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans doesn't really have rules, just threats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> Papyrus is so much fun to write guys.

The smell of something rotten permeated the air, and made your stomach churn. You sure it wasn't the house itself. It was actually pretty clean, with an olive green raggedy couch, and a vacuumed carpet that was a strange mix of purple and turquoise. They even had a tv and a tape player,with a huge staple collection under them both. All together it looked pretty nice, if not a little eccentric as far as living rooms went. Sans dragged you forward and into a kitchen. 

The kitchen was large, and had all the amenities that you would usually find in a kitchen. The sink was far too tall, it would take a step ladder if you ever wanted to reach it, and the room was splattered in dark red. It stained the walls, the floor, even the gigantic skeleton that was now staring down at you. If Sans looked like death, then this was clearly the devil. This skeleton lacked any pupils, and his teeth were awfully crooked and stained with red. In his gloved hands was a slab of dark meat, blood dripping onto the floor and adding to the many stains on the tile.

You slid your fingers upward, but you felt Sans grab them in an iron grip. You could practically feel him telling you to stop. The taller skeleton either didn't notice or care as he let out a gasp. "SANS, YOU MANAGED TO CATCH A HUMAN! UNDYNE WILL BE SO PROUD OF YOU. MAYBE SHE WON'T SEND YOU TO THE 'ROOM' FOR SLACKING OFF AGAIN." 

"heh, maybe." 

The taller skeleton bent down to your level. "GREETINGS, HUMAN! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GAURD! IT SEEMS MY BROTHER HAS CAPTURED YOU, A VERY SURPRISING AND INTERESTING TURN OF EVENTS." He straightened up and turned back to the old fashioned stove, dropping g the me at into a large stainless steel pot. "JUST ALLOW ME TO FINISH COOKING THIS, AND YOU BOTH CAN TELL ME EXACTLY HOW IT HAPPENED."

 Sans tugged on you again, and you went back to the living room. He flopped onto the couch, the force of his fall making you fall back with a yelp. Springs dug into your back, and the couch moaned under your weight. You flailed around for a moment, until you were in a proper sitting position. Sans still had a death grip in your hands though, and they were starting to go numb. You twisted your wrist around, but his grip tightened.

"look, i know skeletons are supposed to stay inside you humans." He said. "but don't go popping your phalanges like that. it's rude."

You raised an eyebrow at his words. How was popping your fingers, or the bones in them, rude? Did Sans speak English, but his native language was spoken via popping bones? Maybe popping fingers was how you insulted a fellow skeleton? You added pressure to your knuckle, and another loud pop emitted from your fingers. Sans hunched forward as of he's been hit, beads of...-was that sweat?- doting along his forehead. Well that was a curious reaction. You yelped when the skeleton pushed you into the couch and loomed over you, a knee pressed into your stomach, and his grin once again looking far too tight in his face. "S-sorry."

"isn't everybody?" He dug his knee deeper into your belly, knocking the air right out of you. "that's the first rule you broke. when i say to do something, do it. don't question it. just do it. capiche?"

"Yeah."

He was beginning to sound like a prison warden. Rules and listening to him without question. You were pretty sure the same thing was said in Nazi concentration camps. The skeleton got off of you, allowing you to refill your lungs, and slumped into the seat next to you. He stared straight ahead at the blank TV, sockets half lidded, as if ready to fall asleep at any moment. You weren't sure how he could be so comfortable. The couch felt terrible, the air smelled like rotting meat and burnt tomato sauce, and there was that stupid song still playing. You understood liking a song, but this was just over kill. "That's just ridiculous."

"hmm?"

 "That song." You said. "It's been on a loop all day. Is it your favorite?"

He shut his sockets now, clearly falling asleep. "heh, you could say that."

You opened your mouth to counter him, but a loud bang and a call to the table stole your attention. Sans shambled to his feet, dragging you up with him. He went back to the round table and sat down, dragging you onto his lap. You almost shot off his lap as if burned, but he wrapped an arm around your waist, keeping you in place. The other skeleton didn't seem to care as he brought three large plates piled with grey flakey mush to the table. He sat two down in front of you and Sans, before sitting down opposite the two of you, and setting his own plate down. Papyrus gave you a large smile as he picked up his own fork, Sans doing the same with his free hand.

"IT'S NICE TO HAVE GUESTS OVER FOR DINNER. WE DON'T GET THOSE OFTEN." He scooped up some of the mash onto his fork, his skull miraculously contorting to look like a frown. "NOT THAT WE GOT ANY BEFORE." He shook his head. "ANYWAY, HOW DID SANS CATCH YOU? WAS IT WITH A PUZZLE? OR DID MY LAZY BONES BROTHER JUST FIND YOU TRAPPED IN A TREE?"

That last one was oddly specific. You wondered if Sans had found anyone else in a tree before this point. "He um, found me in the snow, I guess." Your eyebrows furrowed as you watched the skeleton eat the mash, and was amazed to see it not fall to the floor. Did they cook their food with magic too? Toriel did, at least she said she did. Maybe that was why it was staying inside their bodies?

Papyrus gave a dramatic sigh, breaking you out of your thoughts. "THAT IS FAR LESS INTERESTING. I WILL HAVE TO DO THIS PROPERLY THEN. PERHAPS TOMORROW I CAN TAKE YOU TO ONE OF MY PUZZLES AND TRY TO PROPERLY TRAP YOU IN THEM?"

"Ummm..."

"no can do, bro." Sans said, his grip tightening around your waist. "i already captured her. if we did it again, that'd fudge the numbers."

"YES, YOU'RE RIGHT." He paused in his eating again. "MAYBE I COULD USE ONE OF MY EXPERIMENT PUZZLES THEN? THAT WAY IT WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO ON RECORD?"

"sounds good, bro."

So they used puzzles in this place, just like they did in the ruins. The ones in the ruins really weren't that bad. Most of them really just misdirected you from that main path that led to Toriel's home. Which now made sense since that door led to another part of the cavern system. So did that mean that Papayrus's 'official' puzzles lead to the surface, or another cave system? Was that why Sans didn't want you to get 'captured' in the real ones?

Papyrus continued to eagerly chat with his brother for the rest of the dinner. You made no attempt to eat your food, but it was eaten by Sans, with some protests from Papyrus. After the meal Papyrus stood up and removed the dishes, taking them to the ridiculously tall sink. Sans leaned back in the chair, his grip still tight around you, his free hand now drumming against the table. As the water ran, and the smell of freshly squeezed lemons tried to over power the rotten smell, Sans made a noise akin to clearing his throat. "you gotta see undyne soon?"

 "NO, SHE SAID THAT I NEED TO PROVIDE RESULTS FOR HER NEXT TEST THOUGH." You heard Sans grunt, either unimpressed, or plain uncaring of the news. "I TRIED VERY HARD, BUT SHE THINKS I'M HOLDING BACK. I TOLD HER THAT WHAT SHE WANTS IS VERY...MURDERY, AND TAKES AWAY FROM THE ORIGINAL DESIGN."

"i'm sure she was just excited. you know her. likes to charge in, magic blazing."

"MAYBE..." 

"so she's not coming anytime soon?"

"NO..." The skeleton twisted around, sockets narrowed. "ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT INSPECTION? BROTHER, YOU MAY BE LAZY, BUT YOU MANAGE TO GET ENOUGH POINTS TO PASS EVERY TIME...SOMEHOW."

 "nah, i just wanted to tell you something special."

"YOU'RE GOING TO CLEAN YOU ROOM?"

You held in a laugh. Sans's room was a mess, but it was clear that it had been that way for awhile if Papyrus was so excited about it, and thought it would be the special thing that Sans was talking about.

"nah, got something better." He jabbed a finger at your face, almost poking g your cheek. "found my soul mate."

The skeleton's sockets widened and he garbled out something that you missed completely. Your own breath had stopped dead in your throat, and your eyes widened.

"CONGRATULATIONS BROTHER! OH, THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS, WE SHOULD BEGIN LOOKING FOR BELLS AND-" A choked laugh escaped your mouth, halting the skeleton's euphoric rant. He frowned as you let another laugh escape, your shoulder shaking, and a hand over your mouth. "DID I SAY SOMETHING AMUSING?"

"All this time and this was it?"

"I DON'T KNOW ABOUT HUMANS, BUT I KNOW IT WAS A LONG TIME FOR MY BROTHER." Papyrus said. "YOU'RE THE REASON NONE OF HIS PAST RELATIONSHIPS WORKED OUT. I KNEW MY MANUAL WAS PERFECT-!"

 "You're both so..." How did you call a skeleton, that was capable of breaking your hand, delusional without getting said hand crushed? "There's no such things as soul mates."

Papyrus shook his head. "OF COURSE THERE ARE! SOUL BONDS ARE RARE, BUT THEY DO EXIST. YOU'RE LUCKY TO HAVE FOUND YOUR BELOVED, BROTHER. EVEN IF IT IS A HUMAN."

He chuckled and brought you against his ribs, his nasal cavity digging into your neck. It hurt and made you squirm in his lap, but he didn't stop your movements. "thanks, bro. heh, looks like you're a big brother now, huh?"

The skeleton gasped and looked ready to bounce in his spot and sing to the heavens. What on earth made you think this skeleton was even scary? "YOU'RE RIGHT! HUMAN, HOW OLD ARE YOU?" You remained tight lipped until Sans pinched your thigh. "YOU'RE YOUNGER THAN ME HUMAN, BY A LOT! ARE YOU SURE SHE ISN'T A BABY BONES?"

"pretty sure."

"A BIG BROTHER..." He said it in complete awe, and it took you a moment to realize that Sans was actually older. Considering how small he was, it surprised you more than anything. Then again, Papyrus had all the enthusiasm of a child, so perhaps it did make some sense. "FEAR NOT, HUMAN! I SHALL BE THE BEST BIG BROTHER YOU'VE EVER SEEN!"

"yeah, but that means you need to let me mostly take care of her." He said. "that means let me know if she does or says something strange if i'm not around."

"OF COURSE," Papyrus said. "SHE IS YOUR HUMAN AFTER ALL."

So his 'rules' was just to have you understand that he wasn't the only warden. That didn't surprise you at all. And from the grin on the other skeleton's face, it was clear he was going to do it. Didn't see anything wrong with this situation, or the ludicrous excuse his brother was his using to keep you there. 

You grunted when Sans pushed you off his lap, and stood up himself. "i'm gonna go take her upstairs and show her my room. thanks for being so understanding, paps."

"OF COURSE BROTHER. JUST KEEP YOUR CANOODLING TO A MINIMUM," He said. "WE HAVE PATROLS TOMORROW."

Sans chuckled as he dragged you out of the kitchen. When he went into the living room, you twisted your wrist, trying to get out of his grip. There was a front door right there, and you could find the path to lead you out. Sans sighed and dragged you back to him, his grin still on place. "what're you doing?"

"Let me go!"

"you wanna go that bad?" He said. "you'd rather be with a stranger than your soul mate?"

"You _are_ a stranger." You spat. "And you're not my soul mate." You held up your other hand, a simple silver band around your ring finger. "I'm married."

He stared at you, his smile still in place, and his grip tighter than before. The music became loud and chaotic, changing tempo and pitch. It lasted for only a second, before it went back to its slow laid back sound. "doesn't matter anymore. you're stuck down here like the rest of us."

* * *

 Sans stared at the sleeping human, the library book in his lap, and his hood up. She had argued and fought him all the way up the stairs, and for the next hour. She got so loud, that he threatened to break her fingers if Papyrus came up to the room.

She shut up after that. 

She eventually wrapped herself in his blanket, and took over his mattress, warning him not to touch her while she was asleep. He had no intention to do so, but he let her have her bravado anyway. It was a better reaction than outright fear, it meant that, on some level, she was getting used to him. Or maybe it had more to do with her orange soul. That stood for courage, and those usually pressed forward, pushing their fear down and surging forward. Those were also the easiest to kill, more often than not being too cocky for their own good. 

He sighed and leaned back against the wall, cooling down his over heated bones. He didn't gather the same cockiness from the human though. Instead if felt more like she was trying to save face, or risk embarrassing herself or showing her fear. People were a fickle thing, souls even more so. Her soul trait could be courage all day long, but the amounts of that and her determination could be skewed. Having a trait, but not enough determination to effectively use the trait was rather common within humans. On some level they were like monsters with their lack of determination, or distressingly low amounts. 

He shut the book and shoved it into his sock pile, before get to g up and ambling over to the human. She was wrapped up like a burrito, with her knees to her chest, and snores escaping her mouth and nose. Her soul frequency was calm, and her face was the most relaxed he'd seen it. He crouched down and held his palm out, his soul frequency call I g out to her soul. Almost immediately it phased through her chest, and rose up to his hand in a flash of orange light, eager to answer its dominate. Sans brought it up to his face, careful not to touch it at all. If he did she would probably sense him, and would wake up. She'd just learned that they were soul mates, he didn't want her to learn about souls and what they could do yet. 

 Now that he had a good look at it, without his own soul maiming it, her soul was a bright rust orange. It was a decent size, and didn't have too many cracks, just the usual amount from a more risky soul type. His marks were along the crests and bottom, the grey standing out like a golden flower in a bed full of echoflowers. Despite his utter disgust with the arrangement, he had to admit, he liked seeing his mark on her. It was an instinctual thought, and one he dismissed as soon as it surfaced. He couldn't allow himself to get attached, instincts or otherwise. If there was a way to get their soul frequencies out of tune, then he could send her to Doggo, and have enough food to last he and his brother a good while. Then he wouldn't have to suck up to Undyne, and risk letting his ration chip get revoked.  He shoved the soul back into her body, and went back to his corner.

Tomorrow would be another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even in Horrortale Papyrus is a cinnamon roll. One that still can't cook, but still adorable. So now Reader knows they're soul mates, a d of course she doesn't accept it. And yes, Sans was upset about her being married. The drama between these two is just beginning.
> 
> You know what doesn't have drama? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com
> 
> P.S: I'm determined to do a Halloween special as well. Maybe.


	8. Puzzles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your puzzle adventure begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Moderate
> 
> Gore for aesthetics is hard to write for some reason...

The snow wasn't falling when Sans dragged the human outside with his brother. That made things far more tricky than he wanted. The snow would cover up the human's lingering scent, even if she was wearing exclusively his clothes now. He glanced over to her, the hood of the old jacket pulled over her head. Thanks to his clothes being shaggy on her, none of her distinct features were showing. If push came to shove, he'd say that she was his cousin from the capital. Humans and skeletons looked similar enough, even if her bone structure looked far too thin and small compared to him and Papyrus's. 

He watched as Papyrus led her to a series of ropes hanging from the trees. This puzzle was relatively simple, all she needed to do was pull the right noose, and the path would clear for her. If she pulled the wrong one...Well, he was glad he brought his cleaver. He leaned against a scraggly pine as Papyrus explained the object of the puzzle, his voice booming across the forest. It was early in the day, so it wasn't likely that anyone would hear them, or no one would bother to investigate. He'd made it clear not to mess with Papyrus, and most of the residents of Snowdin valued their limbs enough to follow his unspoken law.

He watched the human wander back over to him, her hands hidden in her sleeves. She untangled one out of it, and pushed up her hood enough to look at his face. She looked paler in the cold, and her body was shivering. However her soul frequency was calm, if not a little quick in tempo. "So was this some kind of gallows?"

He glanced up to the noose swaying over her head. "nah, paps got the idea out of some book, and adapted it for his puzzles. not original, but who am i to grouse about it?"

"Oh."

She turned on her heel and went back to the ropes, glancing up into the limbs they hung from, and carefully batting at them. With all her curiosity she reminded him of some kind of cat. After a few moments she grasped a rope and pulled on it. A loud crack sounded further down, before a snap was heard above her. She gasped and jumped away as the counter weight fell into the snow. 

"WOWIE HUMAN!" Papyrus said. "YOU DID IT. I DIDN'T KNOW IT WOULD TAKE YOU SO QUICKLY." He gave Sans a thumbs up. "SHE'S GOOD AT PUZZLES BROTHER, A REAL CATCH!"

 Sans hummed, but watched as the human bent down to inspect the counter weight. She lifted the burnt piece of burlap, and he heard her piano melody become a chaotic cacophony over her scream. Papyrus hurried over to her, his sockets furrowed. Sans sighed and got off his tree, ready to make any believable answer before his brother. She didn't need to know about their diet yet, that would only alarm her. He wanted her to either be off his frequency, or trusting him completely. 

"These-these are skulls." She said, eyes wide as she stared at the skulls and sticks cobbled together to create a counterweight.

"yeah. how else do you expect these to be scary?"

 She opened her mouth, but soon shut it. Papyrus sighed to himself and muttered something about humans and not understanding puzzles, before clapping his hands. "WELL, AT LEAST I KNOW THIS PART WORKS, EVEN IF YOU MANAGED TO EASILY SOLVE IT HUMAN. HOWEVER," He pointed further up the path. "I HAVE ANOTHER SPOOKY PUZZLE FOR YOU TO TRY. IF YOU SUCCEED, THEN..."

Papyrus glanced over to Sans, not sure what to give as a prize. All the ingredients for spaghetti was used up, and they were out of his favorite dino egg oatmeal as well. "she can pick tonight's movie."

Papyrus's face lit up, the wind back in his sails and tattered cape. "THAT'S RIGHT. YOU MAY HAVE THE HONOR OF CHOOSING OUR NIGHTLY MOVIE! HOW DOES THAT SOUND, HUMAN?"

"Okay?"

"EXCELLENT!" Papyrus began to make his way through the snow and down the path. "I'LL PREPARE FOR THE NEXT PUZZLE. WAIT HERE FOR NOW, HUMAN."

* * *

You shifted in the snow, your back pointedly turned away from the 'counterweight'. You'd seen your fair share of human skills in the natural science museums in Ebotton. These were far too canny to real ones. The sockets were all different, they had various flaws along their sides, and they had strange nasal cavities. The only thing in common any of them had was the tiny size. If you didn't know any better, you would have thought they were children's skulls. Missing people, especially children, were a common occurrence, but winding up down here? It was unlikely, with all the Charmers patrolling g the mountain day and night. 

You shook the thought away as you tucked your hands into the lo g sleeves of your borrowed sweater. It was pretty thick, and had a fluffy interior. It was ugly, probably the blandest shade of blue you'd ever seen, but you were thankful Sans gave you something to wear. He really didn't have to do that, he could have just kept you in the house and roamed around naked for his viewing pleasure. Especially thanks to the excuse he was using to keep you around. Soul mates. Even the Charmers didn't believe in such a childish sentiment. Your fingers slid up to your silver band, your thoughts drifting to your husband.

Was he looking for you still? Had he enlisted the aid of the police yet, or did he give up on you? The marriage had only lasted two years so far, but it wasn't rife with problems. You both knew how to compromise, and knew how to admit when you were wrong. You both talked about everything, and tried to support each other's dreams. Even long distance wasn't a problem for you, if the six months in Paris told you anything. You sighed and dropped your hand, and glanced over to Sans. He was staring at you, that grin stuck to his face, and hand tucked into his jacket pockets. He looked like the absolute definition of relaxed right now. The only thing missing was a bottle of beer, and a cigarette between his teeth. You wondered if he would notice if you ran away right now. 

Most likely.

He was staring at you, after all. Acting like some sort of warden. A love obsessed warden of all things. You supposed, in a twisted way, it could be considered romantic. Something straight out of Grimm's Fairytales. The terrible and beastly skeletal monster, in love with the...not so dainty human. Desperate to win her love and affection, he keeps her locked away in his castle, in hopes she will one day accept him as her one true soul mate...The sentiments left a bitter taste in your mouth. 

But still, it was better to know how insane your warden was, then have it surprise you. "Are we really soul mates?"

"yup." He let out a raspy chuckle. "trust me, it surprised me too. one minute i was your stereotypical bachelor, the next i've got a wife." He glanced down at your hands. "you still thinking about your human?"

"No-"

"don't lie to me. it's written all over your face." You pressed a sleeve covered hand to your cheek. Was it really that obvious? "you can, heh, _pine_ for him all you want. doesn't matter too much. there's no way out of here."

"How do you know?"

"i live here?" He glanced past you. "that and the underground is covered by a barrier. anything can come in. nothing comes out."

 And that was how the Priests kept the monsters here. An impenetrable barrier likely made from magic. A stronger stuff than the Charmers could ever hope to draw upon. Either that or a cave in somewhere, one that would take heavy machinery and dynamite to resolve. Seeing as you had neither, it looked like your chances of getting out was becoming slimmer. You let out a low sigh and huddled into your jacket, pushing down your hood in the process. 

A loud exclamation from beyond the path broke the awkward, mostly, silence. Sans was off the tree in a moment, his axe thing in hand, and walking down the path. As he passed you, he grabbed your arm and hauled you forward. You whimpered out your distress, but he increased his grip on you. "don't. make any unnecessary noise, and i break your fingers."

 You shut your mouth and followed him. Idly wondering as you did, if he had a finger fetish.

* * *

The air smelled like decay and ozone. It reminded you of when you and your parents volunteered to help clean up after a hurricane in the next city over. Dead bodies still lingering inside cars while a rainstorm pelted down on them. Instead if a natural disaster something had gotten caught on a pair of wooden spikes. One was shafted right through the grey green abdomen, while the other was jutted through the left leg. Something jade green and sticky was leaking from the wounds, and would singe and create steam when it dripped into the snow. The bulbous face was turned away from you, but you could hear liquidity breathing. 

Papyrus stood close by, wringing his hands as he stared at the monster. He looked up as you and Sans approached, a distressed look twisted into his skull. "IT WORKED..."

"yup."

"PERHAPS FAR TOO WELL?"

Sans ambled over to the creature, you still in tow. The smell became stronger the closer you got. You could even see the white gleam of bone jutting out from the leg, and skin flapping in the cold breeze from its abdomen. It almost looked like a creature from an alien autopsy video from those conspiracy theory websites your brother-in-law showed you. Sans glanced over to you for a moment, before letting go of you, and pressing his free hand against the monster. It twitched, but otherwise did nothing. The poor thing was probably unconscious or in shock.

 "well, she's done."

"BUT-"

Sans raised up his weapon over his shoulder. "she's not gonna survive, paps. injuries too deep. she'll need to digest a ton of magic just for her leg."

 "I KNOW THAT BUT..." He glanced over to you, and for a moment you felt uncomfortable. Just like the first time you met Papyrus in the kitchen. "MAYBE?"

" **no**." His voice was rougher and deeper. It made his brother flinch and you shiver. "she knew the rules about coming out here, paps. it's not your fault. it's ginny's."

"Sans," You took a step forward. "You don't have to do that. We can take her to a doctor-"

Dust clogged your lungs and filled your vision. It swirled and danced with the snowflakes, looking like waltz partners from two different worlds. You batted them away with a sharp cough, your eyes watering. Sans had lowered his weapon, the same jade green dust clinging to it. However the monster, Ginny, was no where to be seen. Papyrus was looking away from you both, his shoulders shaking and a wheezing sound coming from him. You stared at them both confused, that damn music a head splitting cacophony, and your own thoughts racing.

"What-?"

"she's dead." Sans reached up and covered his hand in his sleeve, before wiping the dust onto it. "here, paps. you should give this to her folks."

Papyrus slowly turned, and went to his brother. The dust was deposited into the bright red gloves, and the taller skeleton held it close. "WHAT IF THEY BLAME ME?"

"it's not your fault." Sans said, this time firmer. "ginny just didn't follow the rules. good kid, too adventurous."

That was a child? And they were talking about her in the past tense...The pieces began to click with sickening speed. Suddenly the pretty green dust was disgusting and gruesome. You wanted to leave, take a bath, something that didn't involve staring at what was likely a child's remains. "It's..."

You were ignored as Papyrus began to walk away, and Sans watched him go. Neither skeleton was paying attention to you, the perfect opportunity to run, but you didn't have the stomach for it. 

What kind of world had you fallen into?

* * *

Sans sighed and shouldered his cleaver, before turning back to the human. She was glued to her spot, her face obscured by his old jacket, and body trembling. But in his head the piano was melancholy, slow and dark. She must have realized what he did then. In reality, he just did the kid a kindness. Everyone in Snowdin knew where the traps were set. Especially one of Grillby's. No, it was evident that Ginny was forced onto one. The placement of the spikes was too perfect for an accident. It made sense, in a twisted way. Ginny was a runt, and she had a smarter older sister. There was no need to keep her alive, and waste food on her.

That kind of thing wasn't normal for full grown children. Babies? Yup. But any kid over twenty looked sketchy. He was gonna have to talk to Undyne about it, something he wasn't looking forward to in the least. For a moment he wondered if he should just do in Ginny's entire family, but waved it off. That was too risky. He didn't know any cannibals he could blame for it, and he didn't want Undyne sending in her...specialists.

Sans twisted around and grabbed the human by the arm. For once she followed him without resistance, though she almost tripped behind him. "you still functioning?"

"..."

"hello? earth to human?"

"You killed her, didn't you?"

Here we go, the part he didn't feel like getting into where a bunch of prying ears could be. "yeah."

"Why?" She halted her movements, making him stop as well. He turned back towards her, his smile still in place. "We could have gotten a doctor-"

"not a one in snowdin." He said. "closest one's in waterfall, and he's not the kind type."

 "So, that didn't mean you had to-"

"yeah it did." He shut his sockets for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before opening them again. "she would've needed magic to heal, and that comes from eating. food's pretty tight right now. that doctor wouldn't have helped her. our lack of food wouldn't have helped either. i did her a favor."

"And you get to decide who lives a d who dies?"

The statement almost caused his smile to falter, before it expanded. A dark chuckle rumbled through his chest, and he had to tighten the grip on his cleaver,lest it slip and fall into the snow or on the human. She just stared at him all the while, a frown pursed on her lips but the rest of her face still obscured, the same e cacophony still playing. "you really are a treat." He said, a few stray chuckles escaping him. "you've got no idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was indeed a thing. Child abandonment is a huge thing in famines and plagues. I'm almost certain it was a thing that the monsters would do at this point. 
> 
> And for those of you wondering: Yes, Papyrus suggested feeding you to the girl. Isn't he a sweetheart? 
> 
> You know what isn't going to eat you? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	9. Friendliness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans shows he knows a tiny bit about humans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> I love how much you guys are enjoying this story. Interacting with both me and each other, it makes this way more fun. ^_^

The next several days followed a rigid pattern. You would sleep in the bed, and wake up to Papyrus banging on the door. You would dress in Sans's clothes, and follow him into the kitchen where you all would eat. Afterwards, you would sit with Sans at his sentry station for a few hours, before he sent you home, where you would wait for him to come back. He never fed you dinner, and you hadn't taken a bath. You were starting to feel more like some glorified pet than an actual human being. Never less a loved and accepted 'soul mate'.  

You watched Sans stroll into the room. He had a bottle of ketchup in one hand, and a book in the other. He collapsed on the bed and crossed his ankles as he opened up his book, and began thumbing through it. You often saw him with the book nowadays. You'd initially found it in his sentry station, but he'd begun bringing it home recently. You couldn't read the weird symbols drawn all over the book. They looked like some kind of code from a Halloween worksheet you had back in elementary school. Maybe Sans liked codes, they were similar to puzzles, and Papyrus seemed obsessed with those.  

You sighed and leaned back in your corner, hood down so you could actually see. Sans took no notice of you, or it felt like it, anyway. The skeleton was much harder to read than his brother, often times he just came across as in a relaxed if not amused mood. It never seemed to cross into anything else. No matter what insult you hurled, how much you screamed, or what threats you used, Sans didn't care. Half the time he'd either ignore your or outright laugh at your attempts to seem threatening. It was disturbing how happy he was all the time, you were actually glad when he came home after his patrols looking absolutely exhausted. It was a nice change, and made you feel like he wasn't completely invulnerable to everything around him. 

Sans glanced up from his book, his single pupil a little blurry. You wondered if he had to rely solely on that one, or if he could see out of the other socket. "come here."

"..."

He sighed and pat the side of his crusty mattress. "come on, I ain't gonna bite."

"You never open your mouth." But you stood anyway, not seeing anything particularly wrong with his request. Usually he wanted you as far away as possible. The only time either of you had contact was when he was pulling you around, or making you sit on his lap during breakfast. You sat on the edge of the bed, the springs squeaking under your weight. "What?"

"we're gonna be making a trip tomorrow." You raised an eyebrow at the news, but didn't cut him off. "i've got another job in another part of the underground, and i'll be taking you with me."

 "Why're you telling me now?" You said. "Wouldn't that give me time to gather up my supplies and run away?"

"heh. if we have supplies, I wish someone would tell me." He gave a raspy chuckle. "anyway, i'm telling you now, so you're not surprised. humans and surprises don't mix."

"..."

Well, he wasn't wrong. If he dragged you to another part of the Underground without explaining it to you first or something, you'd probably be upset. Accuse him of being a liar, fight and argue the entire way. Though, your eyebrows furrowed as you mulled over what he said. It was as if he had actually interacted with a human before. Then again, he had an entire collection of 90's romance chick flicks down stairs. All he had to do was watch _Titanic_ to figure certain things out. Like, the massive surprise that a powerful ship will sink if crashed into an iceberg. That was not well appreciated at all. 

Sans looked up from his book for the first time since settling down with it, his gaze riveted on you. "what? already trying to figure out how to run away?"

"Huh? N-no." You pushed away your earlier thoughts. "And if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you and risk activating your finger fetish."

He snorted, somehow, and ignored you after that. Seeing as that as a dismissal, you stood up and went back to your corner. You drew your knees to your chest, and rested your chin against them. You were going to see a new part of the Underground tomorrow....Maybe you would finally find another opening or a way out. 

* * *

Sans had dragged you through the snow for a good ten minutes. He'd gotten up before Papyrus, a miracle, and had hurried out the door. The two of you didn't eat breakfast, and you hadn't had dinner last night. Your stomach grumbled as you walked, and you hoped that there would be something for lunch. You trailed behind Sans through the Christmas-esque town, peering past your hood to take in the sights. You'd never seen this much of it before. Most of the buildings needed a paint job, and was an unpleasant smell lingering in the air, but other than that it looked peaceful. You bet it looked lovely in its prime, something right out of a Christmas card. Maybe you could ask Sans if he had a photo of the place in that mess of a room. 

As you both went deeper into the town, you noticed that most of the windows had metal bars over them. While the businesses had them on both the doors and windows. Sans hadn't had anything like that on his home. You opened your mouth, but a hand was slammed over it, likely bruising it in the process. You stared back at the skeleton, who tapped the wooden edge of his axe against his teeth. His grin was still in place though, like almost everything involving him. When he removed his hand, and you made no move to speak, he continued to drag you forward. 

Eventually you left the cozy village, and down a path by a river. Ice blocks floated down it, flung by a rusty machine that looked almost straight out of a steam punk movie. Even steam was emitting from the sides, making a smoky fog. It was the first piece of actual machinery you'd seen in the last month and a half. It chipped away at ice and formed it into jagged blocks, before tossing it into the river, where they floated down stream like ducks all in a row. 

The further down the river you went, the warmer everything was becoming. Soon, it felt like your jacket and shirts were too much on your body. The snow itself was long gone, and it was just a dark tunnel with walls that were made of plum colored stones. The hall eventually opened up, revealing a decent sized area, with a sentry station off to the side. Sans plopped down on his stool, putting his weapon under the counter, and like always you sat on the ground. And just like always, even in this new place, water soaked into your clothes. You grumbled in discomfort, but didn't bother Sans with it. The first time you did this, he had laughed made a pun. You had a feeling he enjoyed your misfortune on a damn near spiritual level. 

"What is this place?"

"waterfall." Sans said, a hand propping up his skull as he stared out over the room. "alright place. expensive to live in."

Your eyebrows furrowed. "Does anything here have a good name? Ruins, Waterfall, Snowdin..." You could even point out that his own name was terrible, but decided against it. You liked your fingers where they were. "I've heard better names in fantasy books."

"our king wasn't so good at naming stuff." He shrugged. "no one else had better ideas, so they stuck. so yeah, there's waterfalls here. if you run, you'll probably fall. heh."

You rolled your eyes, but decided not to comment on his pun. You'd learn that, if you ignored them, then he was likely to try and push them down your throat. He mostly said them around his brother anyways, and though the taller skeleton seemed to hate bone puns, he would light off a few puns of various themes now and again. However, Sans's puns were usually dry and dark, not something you could actually find funny. Maybe it was true what they said: Humor truly was subjective. 

You shut your eyes and snuggled into your arms. That long trek through the snow, and waking up early, had made you tired. You stifled a yawn with your hand, an unceremonious crack coming from your jaw. Sans hissed above you, and that music that followed you everywhere changed in pitch for a moment. "you really can't listen, can you?"

"That was an accident." You said. "My bones pop all the time on accident, it's just a thing they do." Sans stared down at you, his smile in place, but you knew he didn't accept the answer. He always got jumpy when you popped your fingers, you should have know you would get the same treatment with your jaw. "Why does that freak you out anyway-"

A loud screech filled the air, and Sans jerked his head up. His fingers tightened around the cleaner, and you swore you saw his dominate socket go dark. Thundering and banging echoed through the cavern, and you swore you saw flashes of blue light through the cracks of the sentry station. You brought your hands to the counter, ready to haul yourself up, but Sans shoved you back down. Your head smacked right against the corner of the station, and you let out a hiss of pain that was ignored. You rubbed the knot on your head, the sensitive skin stinging a bit, but you remained on your knees. 

You could hear heavy breathing now, but you didn't see anyone. Sans was looking to his left though, so you supposed someone had entered the room.

"hey shyren. don't see you this neck of the creek often." There was a faint gargling pop that sounded almost like a baby making spit bubbles. "that so?" There was another loud bang from the other part if the cavern. "You know, i'm not gonna save you, right? you made a deal, you figure it out. _whore_ am i to get in the way of business?" A few more gurgles sounded from the other side of the room. They were high in pitch, as if they were pleading with Sans. "...well, how can i say no to an offer like that?"

Sans pushed himself up, his axe in hand. He didn't even look at you as he left, ambling down the corridor as if it was just the easiest thing in the world. As if he wasn't leaving you alone, and giving you the opportunity of a life time. You struggled to your feet, almost smacking you head against the corner again, and took off back to the direction of Snowdin. It was too dangerous to explore this new place, and would be better to go back to an area where you knew there was a way out. If you could make it back to the ruins, then you could hide out and try to find a way to get to that hole and climb out. Sans said anything could come in, but nothing could come out. You were sure that applied to monsters, but humans were likely an exception to the rule. 

Just as you made it to Waterfall's entrance, a series of huge blood stained bones shot up from the ground. You yelped and stumbled backwards, half expecting Sans to laugh at your scare, but the sound of water dripping and that stupid song was the only thing in the room. You stood back up and backed away a few feet, just for the bones to sink back into the ground. So that was why he was so happy to leave you behind, he had assurance that you couldn't leave. There was no way to climb over those bones without impaling yourself, and you couldn't jump that high. 

You were stuck.

You glanced over to the other corridor, but decided against risking it. You didn't know how far Sans had gone, for all you knew, he could be around the corner chatting with the...thing. You went back over to the sentry station and settled down again, a quiet sigh escaping your lips. 

"You're giving up that easily? Man, you're probably the least determined human I've ever seen." 

You looked up from your knees, just to see the bright yellow flower staring up at you. His single eye held amusement as he swayed in front of you. "It's you."

"Well yeah, who else would just sprout out of the ground to say hello?" That was actually a good point, but you decided against telling him. The little flower insulted you enough as it was. "So how'd you make it all the way out here?"

"I had help."

The flower blinked. "Seriously? A monster helped you?"

"You helped me, didn't you?" He paused in his swaying for a moment. "So did Toriel, in her own messed up, way."

"Fine. Whatever. Who in Snowdin helped you then?" His eye narrowed. "I doubt it was the butcher."

"No..." You'd heard about a butcher multiple times now over the course of your stay in Snowdin. You should really ask Sans about them sometime. "I'm staying with Sans and Papyrus Skeleton."

"What?"

"More like captured, really." You frowned when you caught Flowey's wide eye, he had once again stopped swaying, and his petals were tilted forward. "Seriously? How are you even..." He shook his head. "No, I don't even want to know what goes on in that trash bag's head." He addressed you again, his tone serious. "Look, we need to get you out of here, but you're not going to survive long without a ration chip."

"I heard Sans talking about those." You said. "How do I get one?"

"You'll have to either steal one from the trash bag, or from someone else." Flowey said. "Getting a new one made will be impossible since the Empress keeps the records on lock down. Births haven't been plentiful since that new law among other things. Get one of those, and I'll guide you out." His leaves and stem tensed, before he dipped under the ground, his voice muffled, but leaving no trace of his existence. "And don't let the trash bag know _anything_ about you." 

You didn't have time to question it as hands slammed onto the counter, causing you to whip around and hit the corner...again. "heh. did i make you jump outta your skin?"

"No, you almost damaged my skull though."

Sans vaulted over the counter and settled into his chair. He hooked three of his fingers into his empty socket, and leaned against the counter. He looked just as relaxed as he was earlier, though now he was missing his axe, and there was baby pink dust on his clothes.

He had killed someone else. 

' _Don't let the trash bag know anything about you_.' 

"hey, you alright?"

"...I'm fine." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, that was that. So Flowey came back around, and is promising help. He also doesn't deny the fact that he's not a monster. On top of that, poor Shyren is now a prostitute. The world just sucks all 'round. 
> 
> Know what doesn't suck? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	10. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans asks questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> Home mother of God...No gore at all. This result is a filler chapter.

Over the course of three days, you decided to lay low and just observe your captors without the thought of escape. The skeletons didn't seem suspicious of your sudden compliance, or if they did, they didn't care to question it. Papyrus in particular was happy that you didn't shy away from him, even sharing the bowl of dino egg oatmeal that Sans had found for him. Normally you didn't eat after others, but you were happy to in that case. You hadn't had food at all that day, and even a few spoonfuls of sugary oatmeal tasted good. Sans had been happy about it for some reason, and had even loosened the death grip he had on your waist. 

However, none of it helped you to find the ration chips. Flowey hadn't even told you what they looked like, so you weren't sure how to find one. Not only that, but Sans was the only one who came home with food. Usually he brought some home after work, and would have Papyrus put it away. It was clear that Sans took care of most of the bills and the like, and that you would have to go through him in order to figure out anything at all. When you realized that, you began to dig through the pig sty he called a room with a vengeance. Picking through the sock pile, poking at his books, or taking a look through the trash he had in the corner of his room. Nothing was found, but you did learn that Sans had a smoking habit. You wondered how since he was a skeleton, and never opened his mouth for anything. 

You sat on his mattress, lips pursed and blankets over your head and wrapped around your body. Sans was due to be back any minute, and you had to convincingly look like you didn't just poke through his near empty closet. It had the usual hangers, trash, and a few monster porn magazines. You never knew that fire had the ability to look sexy until today. Seriously, how could fire look like it has boobs? The violet flame had boobs that were bigger than your stomach. The fact that Sans even had pornography blew your mind harder than those blow job photos. Why would a skeleton need that sort of thing? Did he have an entirely bone body, but secretly had some of his core organs? If you weren't afraid of the consequences, and your sense of decency, you might have asked him as he walked through the door. 

Blood was smeared on his jacket, but he didn't seem to care as he flopped onto the bed next to you. The metallic smell made your nose wrinkle, and you scooted away from him. "been good?"

"Yeah."

He asked you that question everyday, and that was always how you answered. And like always he shut his sockets and relaxed. "good. i've gotta go out in a bit, and i'm gonna get you a treat. bet you're hungry, right?"

You nodded, not willing to lie about that. You hadn't eaten in two days, and you were tired of drinking the bitter water Sans gave you. If you didn't know any better, you'd thought Sans was slowly poisoning you. "What'd I do to deserve that?"

"i've never heard someone complain about getting dinner." He opened one of his sockets, that stupid grin still on his face. "you humans are real freaks."

 "...That's an extreme thought, isn't it? I'm a freak because the person who's keeping me here, and feeds me one meal if I'm lucky, wants to give me a treat?" You raised an eyebrow. "Do you really not see something wrong with what you said?"

"nope."

You rolled your eyes, but hissed when you felt cold fingers pinch at the skin of your exposed calf. "What?"

"humans take stuff for granted. the sky over their heads, all the food they've got, and their advancements in technology." His tone became subdued, even though his smile was still in place. "monsters? we don't get that option. a meal's a meal,and no one's gonna question why they got it. you really shouldn't, since it's a blessing and all that. but you can, and then you've got your conscious to deal with, or wondering if you should give it to someone else, or just get rid of it all together." He gave a dry laugh. "you probably don't know the saying, but don't polish a spare light crystal."

"You're right, I don't."

He pointed up to the single bare bulb in the ceiling. "that's a light crystal. polish it, and you see how much life it's got from how much it blinks."

"Don't look a gift horse in a mouth." 

"same thing?"

"It has a similar meaning." You both sat in silence for a moment, before you found the perfect opening. "Hey, why can't I go get food? I just sit around all day, you could at least let me do chores or something."

 "why would you want to do chores?" His tone sounded utterly bewildered, and you weren't all that surprised. From what you gathered, Papyrus did all the chores in the house. The only thing Sans had done so far, was dust down everything. "got you in my room like a princess, but you'd rather be the maid."

"I'd at least wanna cook." You stretched out your fingers, but was careful not to pop them. "I'm actually a baker you know. I finished culinary school two months ago, so not cooking stuff is weird."

 Sans stared at you for a moment, his single red eye raking over your face, before getting off the bed. "well lucky you, looks like you're on vacation then." He ambled to the door.  "isn't that something?"

"What? No-"

The door slammed shut on your protests, leaving you alone in the cold room. You brought the blankets closer, the sting of rejection hurting a little more than it should. For the first time since being in the ruins, you felt ready to cry, yet not sure why.

* * *

You awoke to the sound of cloth shuffling against the floor. You cracked open an eye, and saw your captor shambling towards the bed. As he got closer, your nose wrinkled and you scooted away. He smelled like liquor, and not just any liquid either, whiskey. And if you could smell it before he'd even hit the bed, he must have downed enough to kill a grown man's liver. You slowly sat up, the blanket slipping from your head and falling to your shoulders. Sans paused,his knee on the bed and leg on the floor. His red eye glowed in the darkness, trained on every miniscule movement. "why're you up?"

"You woke me up."

He snorted, and fell onto the bed, managing to land on his side and facing you. "well ain't that nice. guess i won't gotta wake ya up now."

He dug a hand into his pocket, and drew out a package similar to the one he gave you the last time. You reached out and curled your fingers around it, the warmth seeping into your fingers and trialling up you arms, making the hair stand on end. It smelled so good, and you could feel drool pooling into your mouth. You remembered Sans's proverb from earlier as you unwrapped the food, and began to eat the thin burger. You weren't gonna over think a warm meal, not right now, anyway.

As you chewed your bite, you noticed the skeleton staring at you. His eye glued to your mouth, and his fingers curled into the messy sheets. You swallowed the food. "Are you hungry?"

"heh, me and everyone else in this hell hole is always hungry." He said. "but uh, guess i got more shit faced than i thought."

Clearly. You'd never heard him speak that crude before. Not that his mouth was squeaky clean, but stringing together curses that sounded like they belonged in a British soccer stadium was rather out of character. "Are you gonna be okay? Do you need some water or-"

"wouldn't this be the perfect time to run away?" You paused, eyebrows furrowed. "i'm drunk, paps trusts ya. it's perfect. i can't even think of a better plan."

"Why would I leave before I ate, or in the middle of the night? It'd be easier to leave when you went out on patrol." You said, before taking another bite and savoring the flavor. You were almost done with the burger, you felt a little sad. " Besides, I have no idea where to hide out. I can't go back to the ruins, and you live here, there's no where for me to go."

"bullshit."

You swallowed the last bit of your food. "E-excuse me?"

"bullshit." You inched your body away when you felt Sans reach out for you. "you're just plannin'. ya haven't been this docile since ya got here, and suddenly ya think i believe that you're just acceptin' it? waitin' on a rescue?"

Oh god. He must have seen you with Flowey. The thought sent your heart right to the pit of your stomach. The food you just ate felt like a rock, and left a bitter taste in your mouth. You shifted further away from him, winding up curled against the wall that served as his head board. Sans twisted around, laying on his stomach, his devilish grin still in place. 

"Sans-"

" **that's the face of a liar**." Your heart almost stopped at his words, and it took everything you had not to deny it. "so why don't ya tell your soul mate the truth? i got ya a treat didn't i? the least ya can do is not lie to me."

 Your brain scrambled for a good lie, but kept coming up blank. You were never the best liar, a skill your father abhorred, so you could never execute one on the fly and not make it sound ridiculous.

"I'm just t-trying to be nice." Your words sounded rushed, and you knew your face gave it away anyway. Your tells were obvious to anyone, especially someone who liked to play stalker. You flexed your fingers, desperate to pop them. "Didn't you say we were soul mates?"

He rolled his eye. "don't kid yourself. ya aren't gonna fool me with that kind of excuse. aren't ya married? that's important to ya, right?" You didn't answer, sure your voice would betray you. "thought so." He dragged himself up and onto his knees, before slamming a hand beside your face, looming his face closer to yours. "so what's my treat got to hide?"

A dull pop echoed from the room, your nerves completely fried now. He was far too close to you, and the smell made you nauseous. If you could, you'd even take the sock pile at this point. Sans, on the other hand, was far more intrigued. His menacing smile backing away from your face somewhat, eye practically blazing. 

"so my little soul mate's gonna seduce me now?" You wondered how popping bones translated to wanting to fuck, but kept it to yourself, your body trying to curl into a ball. Cold fingers grabbed your chin, and jerked it upward, forcing you to fully look at him. "heh, guess i'll bite. hard."

He pressed his teeth to your neck, and nuzzled them long your pulse. It was awkward and cold, and felt far too intimate. You lashed an arm out,but it was slammed into the wall above you, the force making you whimper. Sans chuckled, the sound dryer than you'd ever heard it before. "Don't you dare. If you do I swear-"

"what? my life's already miserable." He slid down to your collar bone, and pushed your shirt down, revealing more skin. "nothing ya can do treat. you're just as fucked as me. heh."

The raspy sound was much deeper than before, and for a moment his body stilled. You waited for him to surge forward, scare you, anything...But he just stayed there, a deep snore rumbling through his bones. You let out a laugh, one that hurt your insides and confused you, as you pushed the skeleton away and stared at the drunken skeleton. You didn't even know how you managed to get out of that, but you weren't going to question it. 

The logical part of your brain demanded that you search him, while the other part said to leave him alone. Drunks were notorious for their off sleeping habits, and Sans was already a light sleeper. You didn't think you wanted to risk rape via skeleton again. You clambered off the bed, and went to your corner, pulling the blankets close. Sleep was not going to come back easy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, that could have gone better. Thanks guys, for helping me with this filler! An anonymous user on tumblr sent me a suggestion for drunk Sans. Lots of other lovely people sent suggestions too, all of them awesome, but not able to fit in here. 
> 
> So Sans is suspicious. Maybe he saw Reader speaking with Flowey? Who knows~!
> 
> Know what isn't suspicious? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	11. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Papyrus have bonding time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> Whoo! Another chapter without gore. Guess things are finally starting to mellow out.

The next morning, Sans struggled out of the sheets, his sockets slowly opening. He felt utterly exhausted. His bones were sore, his magic felt sluggish, and there was a foul taste in his mouth. It was like something crawled in and died while he was asleep. He slipped his fingers around, but couldn't feel the familiar warmth of the human in his bed. He sat up and twisted around, sockets narrowed, until he caught sight of his blanket. It was wrapped around the human, who had vacated to the corner. Not that he blamed her or anything, he was a malicious drunk. He slipped out of the bed, and stumbled over to her. She groaned and pulleys blankets tighter around her. "Not yet."

"come on, we got stuff to do." He bent down and jerked her up by the arm, his blanket slipping to the floor. She stared down at him with narrowed eyes, and a drool smeared face. "save that for when i say you're skipping breakfast."

"What!"

"you ate last night." 

"Because I didn't know I'd be banned from eating breakfast." She jerked her arm away, and rubbed at her face, wiping off the drool. "Treat my ass."

"eh, i'm more of a boob guy myself."

 "..."

He chuckled as he took her downstairs. Papyrus was putting some boiled moss soup onto the table, from the smell, it was probably boiled in bone broth. Disturbing, even to him, but better than a plain soup without any magical properties. He didn't feel like having the human freak out over food slipping through his rib cage. He settled into his chair, and adjusted the human in his lap, as usual she tensed up and did her best not to move around too much. Sans hurried through his soup, careful not to burn the human, before pushing the bowl away. "i gotta get going, undyne wants me."

"REALLY? WHAT FOR?" Papyrus's sockets narrowed. "YOU DIDN'T CALL HER RUDE NAMES AGAIN, DID YOU?"

"nah, nothing like that." Sans pushed the human up, before getting up himself. "i found out about it last night, she just needs me for something's all." He gestured to the human. "so i'm leaving my wife in your capable hands, bro."

Papyrus grinned, while the human's eyebrows furrowed. She probably thought he was a liar, and was springing this on purpose due to his suspicious. Nah, he was too lazy to be petty. In reality, he'd been told last night at the bar from some armored guard. Then he'd came home completely pissed and drunk, so warning the human hadn't been at the forefront of his mind. Hell, if it was up to him, he would stash the human somewhere in the capital. Having her linger all day with his brother really put a damper on his mood.

He trudged out of the kitchen, but the human trailed behind him, her footsteps padding against the floor. "what, you gonna miss me?" He glanced behind him. "don't worry, i'll be back home to harass you soon."

 "Undyne is a person in charge, right?" The question through him off for a moment, his suspicions creeping back into place. "Can't you take me with you and ask her how I can leave?" She flexed her fingers. "I mean, I know you said the barrier was built to keep everything in, but I'm human. There has to be a way for me to get out."

"..."

She actually had a point. They had never tried to see if humans could pass through the barrier. Right now they were eating humans, and using their souls to make them consumable. Before that, they were just killing them and stuffing their souls in fancy jars. They'd never tried to see if the barrier recognized a human with a still pulsing soul, and allowed them to pass through. Wouldn't it make sense for humans to save their own? They loved to so that. Saving their own and exiling all those that didn't fit in with them. Then again Priests hadn't exactly been human either, not their souls anyway. It wouldn't surprise him to learn that humans had made sure to be able to keep those bastards down here too. 

"Hey," He blinked, but kept his facade in place. "are you ignoring me?"

"kinda." He turned back around, ignoring her fixed glare. "stay outta trouble, be a good girl."

With that he left the house, opening a short cut the minute he shut the door behind him.

* * *

 Papyrus ended up taking you on patrol with him. He led you through the forest, his voice carrying over the stagnant, cold wind that blew through the area. It brought with it a rotten smell and a face full of snow. You sputtered and brushed some of your mussed up hair our of your face. 

"HURRY, SANS'S MATE," Papyrus said, further up the path with a armful of rope in hand. "IT WILL BE CURFEW BEFORE YOU EVER MAKE IT THERE."

You quickened your steps, damn near stumbling over pine comes and roots that were too close to the 'surface'. When you caught up to the taller skeleton, he continued his trek through the snow. Papyrus didn't talk much as he made his rounds through the forest. Instead he checked each of his puzzles, tweaking those that needed it, and searching the surrounding areas. He was surprisingly thorough, a frown forming on his skull when things were out of place, even by a little bit. Due to his seemingly childish personality, you'd thought he would run through his work so he could go do whatever with his rope.

It was also hard to believe that Papyrus built some of them. Thanks to staying with Sans at the sentry station, you had never seen Papyrus's 'offical' puzzles. You thought they would all be as simple as the one he had tried in you. Apparently, he was some sort of puzzle genius. A lot if them had multiple parts, and we're rather complex. Papyrus could quickly take th apart as needed, and throw them back together again. Most of his tweaks only took ten minutes, if that. While Sans was certainly dangerous in the fact that he didn't seem to shy away from violence, Papyrus was clearly dangerous through how clever he was. If he were to apply it a certain way, you were sure he would have no problem taking you down without touching you directly.

You were pulled from your thoughts as the skeleton belted out his high pitched laugh, dusting off his gloves as he stood up from a puzzle. "THE BULK WORK HAS BEEN COMPLETED! NOW WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE A BREAK BEFORE OUR TRUE PATROL BEGINS." He turned to you, a grin on his face. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP SET UP A PUZZLE WITH ME?"

"I dunno," You said. "I don't think I'm any good."

He scoffed and grabbed your wrist, chafing his glove against your skin. It was as if he hadn't bothered to wash them properly in years. "NONSENSE! ANYONE CAN BUILD A PUZZLE IF THEY ONLY TRY. NOW, LET US GO FORTH AND CONCOCT A PUZZLE WORTHY FOR EMPRESS UNDYNE."

You stumbled behind the skeleton, almost tripping at every sharp turn. Goodness, at least Sans knew you couldn't keep up with him, and tried to keep it slow when he had to hurry. Papyrus either didn't care, was was utterly oblivious to the face. Both answers had a frown forming on your face as he dragged you deeper into the woods. The same rope nooses hung from the trees, swaying side to side like a hypnotists's bauble. They looked lower to the ground now, and a few of them had faded ribbons tied in girly bows. Other than that, there didn't seem to be any significant changes to the area.

Papyrus dumped his rope in the snow, and went to a noose with a green now wrapped around it. "SO SISTER, ARE YOU ENJOYING LIVING WITH US? I KNOW IT ISN'T AS GLAMOROUS AS THE SURFACE, BUT HAVE YOU FOUND SOMETHING YOU LIKE?"

No, not a thing. But you didn't think Papyrus would appreciate his home or hospitality thrown to the side and insulted, so you scrambled for something that sounded plausible. "The snow is really nice. It's so white and pretty, different to the snow at home."

"IT SNOWS ON THE SURFACE TOO?"

"Yeah. In my home, it snows for three months."

"WOWIE," Papyrus looked up and into the fog over his head. The ceiling of the cavern was impossible for you to see, but you wondered if Papyrus could see it. "DOES IT TAKE THAT LONG FOR SNOW TO COLLECT AND FREEZE UP THERE?"

"It depends on where you live."

"SO IT DOESN'T SNOW EVERYWHERE THEN," Papyrus brought his gaze back down to his puzzle. "THAT HAPPENS HERE AS WELL. IN HOTLAND IT NEVER SNOWS, AND IT'S WARM IN WATERFALL, BUT NOT TOO MUCH. I HEARD IT'S SIMILAR IN THE CAPITAL, BUT I THINK IT'S SIMILAR TO SNOWDIN IN A WAY, ESPECIALLY SINCE UNDYNE TOOK THE THRONE."

You wondered if he was being literal or not. If monsters could use spells like Charmers, though you haven't seen any runes, it could be possible to change the weather. "That's interesting."

"INDEED." He slipped off the bow and tucked it into his pocket. "BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE UNDERGROUND AND SURFACE. LIKE HAVING A SKY, AND SUN, AND NOT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT LAVA FILLING UP YOUR SINK INSTEAD OF WATER."

 "Huh?"

"WELL, I ASSUME HUMANS DON'T." Papyrus said. "IT NEVER HAPPENS IN UNDYNE'S HUMAN HISTORY VIDEOS. ONLY WATER COMES OUT, AND THE CUTE GIRLS WILL LET IT RUN OVER AND SQUEAL LOUD ENOUGH TO WAKE THE DEAD. HONESTLY, YOU HUMANS MUST LEARN MORE ABOUT PROPER CULINARY ARTS. LIKE HOW TO SPOON OUT FISH EYEBALLS."

 Your nose wrinkled. "Um, humans don't eat eyes."

Papyrus whipped his head over to you, sockets wide. "REALLY? WHY NOT? IT'S EDIBLE! FISH EYES MAY NOT TASTE AS GOOD AS RABBIT EYES, OR HUMAN EYES, BUT THEY'RE STILL GOOD-"

"H-human?"

 "WELL, YOU SEE HUMANS FALL DOWN HERE SOMETIMES AND DON'T SURVIVE..." His tone was gentle now, as if trying to pacify you as you took a step back from him, eyes wide and mouth agape. "SO INSTEAD OF LETTING THEM TURN INTO SQUISHY BUG INFESTED PEICES, WE TURN THEM INTO SQUISHY FOODS. I'M SURE THIS IS VERY UPSETTING TO YOU SISTER, BUT I PROMISE WE WON'T EAT YOU. WE HAVE A VERY STRICT 'NO EATING FAMILY' POLICY."

You tried to form words, but none came. These creatures, the things that had been keeping you away from your family, were monsters. Not just their species either, honest to god monsters. What on earth convinced them it was a good idea to disturb the dead, and eat a corpse like a feral scavenger. Your hand flew to your mouth and your stomach twisted as you thought of all the food you'd eaten since you dropped into the hole. Were you a cannibal now? Did you need to be put down and labeled a monster too? The food had tasted so good, you had never really thought about it much before. Outside of Papyrus's oatmeal, most of the food was completely indescribable to you. It usually looked like an exaggerated mystery lunch from a Saturday morning cartoon.

You watched Papyrus begin measuring the long spool of rope he had brought with him. You couldn't stay down here anymore. You either needed to leave, or do the right thing...

* * *

Sans heard unholy screeching in his skull. The words passing through his magic sputtered, and he had to curl his phalanges into his empty socket to control the piercing pain. His magic whipped within his bones, eager to seek out the threat to his mate. Of course it would happen now of all times. When he couldn't reach her, a d when he had to save face in front of someone else.

His gaze shifted from the floor, back up to Undyne, a scowl on her scarred face as she stared down at him from her throne. Long nails tapping on the arms of it, only managing to increase Sans's pain."Why'd you stop?"

He grit his teeth and tried to reign in his magic and soul frequency. If it became noticeable, Undyne would become curious, a d a curious Undyne was a violent Undyne."know what they say, gotta let the audience absorb a joke. can't let it water down the performance."

"Glad you think people murdering their kids is a joke Sans." Her tone was flat, but he could hear the disgust that threatened to breach it as she watched him from her place on the golden throne. "My people are a priority, not some setup for a stupid joke, and if you can't u understand that, I'll make sure you and your brother won't eat for a month." Sans let a dry chuckle slip, earning a one eyed glare from the empress. "You wanna test me?"

"nah, it's just I thought it was funny." He unhooked his fingers from his eye socket, grin struggling to stay in place. "you'd kill the only one who understands magic extraction on a soul based level. at least, i was..."

The two stared at each other. Undyne's magical practically tangible, while Sans fought to keep his soul frequency in check. He'd always viewed Undyne as a threat, at the moment it was tripled. The spring green fog dissipated back into Undyne's body, but she didn't relax. "Fine, explain your nerd stuff to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied at the beginning notes... So now Reader knows that monsters eat humans, but Papyrus led her to believe it's dead ones. Sans is also noticing her distress, but has no idea why it's happening. Bad times are ahead...
> 
> Know what isn't a bad time? My tumblr! (This is the most blatant advertisement yet..) http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	12. Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans bonds with his mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore level: High
> 
> Heh, this chapter...It's so short. -_-

Sans opened the door to his home, half expecting blood to be all over the walls, dust on the floor, and the home empty. After all, not many people could just up and get along with Papyrus and his awesome, if not strange, behavior. It was a process, one he was expecting the human to utterly fail.  However, as he shuffled from the living room to the kitchen, he certainly didn't expect to hear Papyrus humming and slamming things together as he cookEd some dinner. A fractured human skull was on the counter, the brain missing and most of the skin and muscle flayed off. He carefully side stepped the puddles of blood all over the floor as he approached his brother. "hey bro, where's the old lady?"

Papyrus dumped a grayish pink mash into the pot, causing an off green broth to slip into the floor. "GOOD EVENING, BROTHER. YOUR VERY YOUNG SOUL MATE IS UPSTAIRS CRYING. AT LEAST SHE WAS DOING IT EARLIER, LOUDLY I MIGHT ADD. I DIDN'T KNOW COMING INTO OUR HOUSE WAS THAT SADDENING. MAYBE I SHOULD GET SOME FLOWERS FROM MS. PEONY."

"heh, maybe." He turned around began trudging to his own room. "i'm gonna ask her what flowers she'd want." 

Papyrus gasped and twisted around, sockets wide. "THAT'S UNCHARACTERISTICLY ROMANTIC OF YOU SANS. YOU REALLY DO LOVE YOUR HUMAN!"

"heh, yeah."

Sans went to his room, his sole focus the dark piano melody in his head. It had been on a loop ever since he had finished speaking to Undyne. His brother hadn't given him a good enough hint as to what her problem was, but he had plenty of excuses for anything she could throw at him. In all honesty, he had expected a breakdown well before now. Had expected her to kick and scream, curse his name until the Angels decided to drag him to his rightful purgatory. He was almost proud, in a twisted way, that she had managed to go this long without having to break down like this. Either she was made of tougher stuff, or she was delightfully naive. 

 To a certain extent, he was hoping it was the former.

When he got to his door, he took a deep breath. Not that he needed to, but it was calming, and much safer than stabbing someone through the abdomen. After listening for any movement in the room like he always did, he opened up the door. The hinges creaking and alerting the whole house he was going into his room. The lump on his bed didn't bother to move, if anything their soul frequency became darker. Sans shut the door behind him before approaching the bed, hands in his pockets and face molded into his usual smile. "my princess not even gonna greet me? that's pretty cold." He flicked some of the melted snow off his jacket and onto the exposed hand. It didn't even flinch. "alright, fine. were you a good girl today?"

"..."

"what? temmie got your tongue?"

"Would that eat it too?" The question made him freeze, his smile straining. "Or would it eat my eyes instead?"

"look, i've got no idea-"

She sat up now, blanket pooling to her hips, and eyes narrowed. "Don't you _dare_ lie to me! Papyrus told me earlier that you find dead humans and eat them like demonic scavengers. Sentient beings with intelligence, hopes, and dreams. And instead of giving them a proper burial, and putting them to rest, you _eat them_." She spat the words, as if putting emphasis on them would make him realize what a horrible misdeed he did. "But you're just smiling, as if you don't care. What if I started eating monsters? Wouldn't you get pissed? Wouldn't you hate me?"

"no." The fight in her face faltered, before returning to its hard and determined state. He sighed and flopped onto the bed, but she didn't scurry away from him. "if it was you, i'd feed you a monster. i'd shove enough dust down your throat to cover all of snowdin if it meant keeping you alive." He chuckled and shut his eyes. "you're my soul mate and a human. giving you a monster burg isn't gonna be the end of the world."

"But it's cannibalism!"

"do i look human to you?" He cracked open an eye and glanced over to her. "killing a human and eating them, or vice versa, is no different than eating a cow. similar, but not the same."

The two stared at each other for a few moments, the air heavy with something that Sans couldn't quite name. It was too hot for rage, but not violent enough for blood lust. Finally the human crossed their arms, voice lowered.  "So that's it then, you see humans as cattle? Am I just the prize cow then? A lucky pet that has to watch the others die?"

"exactly. knew you'd catch on quick."

The music in his head twisted and turned, becoming that dangerous cacophony that made his magic want to reach out for her. He shoved the instinct down, with a harsh reminder to not give into the need. When the song reached its peak, her face faltered, and tears began streaking down cheeks. The whole time she had been under his care, he had seen plenty of her faces. Anger, rage, sorrow, and even amusement. However tears, sadness on a level he couldn't even comprehend, he hadn't seen before. He thought when he finally saw her so vulnerable, he'd feel closer to her. Maybe finally be drawn and attracted to the human under his care, but as he watched her cry, he couldn't bring himself to. 

She just didn't understand.

They were starving. If he had a different choice, of course he wouldn't eat humans. They were incredibly intelligent, resourceful, and could dish out a good joke or two. But shattering their souls and letting their magic slip into their bodies made them edible. Hell, it even allowed things like slime mold and tree bark become more edible for monsters. The magical properties were faint, easily overtaken by a monster's, but good enough to be a powerful food supplement that gave monsters more options. On top of that, their magic could directly repair souls once it was overtaken. Monster souls were damaged once they starved, so eating human infused anything was like a powerful healing elixir. 

He wanted to tell her that, to explain that the humans had to be consumed, that they couldn't even be saved to break the damn barrier, but then she would never understand. He had tried to explain it at first, when the humans would squeal and beg. He tried to tell them that it was necessary, and if he didn't have to, he would let them move on without a problem. But none of them ever listened, their self preservation making them deaf to his own pleas. Self preservation was a powerful thing, probably on the same par with magic, if not more so. 

He was pulled from his thoughts as the human grit her teeth and turned to stare at him. "Give me your ration chip."

"excuse me?"

The human shifted to the side, the blanket falling off the bed, and revealing his cleaver. Her fingers curled around the smooth wooden handle, and she hefted it close to her chest, the head pointed towards him. He kept his smile in place, even though his magic beat against his bones, and his soul twisted as he watched his soul mate toy with his favorite weapon. He was sure he had thrown it into the shed...Whatever the case, she was now walking a dangerous line. He was directly threatening him, and wanting to take his ration chip, the thing that fed Papyrus.

"If you don't give it to me," She said, words calmer than they should have been. "I'll hurt you."

He let his smile grow wider. "that so? didn't think you were into that kinda thing."

She pressed the sharpened tip into his jacket. "I'm not playing! All I want is your ration chip. I'll leave and you'll never have to have the tempting human dangling in front of your face again." 

"no."

"You'd rather I hurt you?"

He grabbed her wrist, and brought his face close to her, grin threatening to break his skull in half. "i'd hurt us both."

He saw the damage before feeling the resulting pain. The slices and chips in his lower ribs, red and yellow bone marrow was allow over his now torn jacket, looking almost like macabre accents. Then there was his soul, formed just for this moment, a pale white with a giant gash where the cleaver impaled it. The other cracks threatened to finish the job, turn him into a pile of dust that would be scattered on nothing, because nothing was important.

He looked up from the damage, to the human. Her eyes were wide, and her own soul had been summoned. A similar gash was embedded in her soul, but it was oozing the orange liquid all over his blankets. The rust colored glow of her soul was dim, and ready to almost go out completely. However, the damage was almost identical to his own, and it made him fucking elated. His mate was wounded just like him. His mate now had the perfect proof of their bond. His mate was put in her fucking place.

"W-what?"

"if my soul gets damaged, so does yours." She just stared between the two souls, face utterly bewildered and speech not coming to her. If he wasn't in the process of dying, maybe he would have laughed. "if you wanna live, i'm gonna have to eat a human to heal both our souls. but uh...you said I shouldn't since they're sentient. so let's see how long until self preservation kicks in and derails your moral purity." He said, tone the same regardless of the gash in his soul. He released her wrist, and ripped the weapon out of his soul, and leaned back against the pillows, getting the carnage everywhere. "so, what flowers do you want on your grave?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think? Will Reader cast aside her morals? 
> 
> Know what won't cast aside its morals? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	13. Of Sans and his Mate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More bonding between Sans and his human.

You stared at the orange heart, your soul according to Sans, float in front of you. It has a massive gash in the middle, with hairline cracks along the jagged edges. A bright orange liquid spilled onto the sheets, staining them and mixing with a pale dust that drifted down from Sans's soul. Your gaze tore aware from the two souls, and drifted back to skeleton. He leaned against his pillows, red pupil fixed on you, and axe sitting where his stomach would be if he were human. He looked utterly relaxed, as if he hadn't just wounded both you and him. 

You knew it was risky trying this method, but you hadn't been able to stop yourself. When Papyrus brought in the axe,and left it covered in blood on the counter, a human head sitting next to it...The desire to leave, and tell the Charmers about what happened here, was powerful. You had allowed fear to dictate your actions, and that caused you to be in the situation you were in now. A situation you wouldn't be able to back out of without loosing something. 

On one hand, you could allow Sans to eat a human. He said that would heal his soul, and in turn, your soul. That would give you a chance to regroup, and try again. Flowey didn't give you a time limit, he just told you to get a ration chip. And if you let Sans eat the human, that would be a show of submission. He would believe that you were beginning to break down and follow his whims, even if he forced your hand. Perhaps not trust you with a weapon, but it was a start in the right direction.

But then you would be compromising your morals. You weren't a hardcore pacifist, you wouldn't have married your husband if you were, but you liked to think you were a morally upright person. Didn't steal, played your library fees, and would never partake in something as grizzly as cannibalism just to save yourself. Those people had families at some point. They were probably worried about them, hoping those people were still coming home. That there was just a slither of hope that they would no longer be faces posted on the box of milk cartons and flyers. They would be little more than cattle for you, a means to an end.

 A dull crack echoed through the room, and sharp pain ripped through your body, making you whimper and more cracks appear on both your and the skeleton's soul. Sans didn't look effected by it, and for some reason, that made you upset. After all, of you had to share souls, the very culmination of your existence, then he ought to share your pain too. Your curled your fingers into the mattress, eyes stinging and tears forming at the edges. You hated this entire situation, and wanted to do something about it, but you were scared. You were scared and you hated yourself for it. You hadn't been this good and scared since your father left you with your mother. Since the days of having to try and tip toe through the house and hoping it was a good day. Since before you had a definitive reason to wake up in the mornings. And now, those reasons were at home, waiting for any sign that you would return to them.

Your husband could convene with the other Charmers all he wanted, could use thousands of runes to try and find your location, but it would probably take a miracle to actually get you out of this hell hole. You were the only person honours get you out of this mess, and that meant you had to make a decision. A faint piano melody, harsh and interactive began to play. It slowly overtook the electronic melody that had been on a never ending loop for two weeks. Sans glanced over to you, his brow bones furrowed as the strong became stronger. "You want me to compromise my morals so you can justify your eating habits. At the same time, you're living a completely desperate situation too. You honestly think there's no other option? That the only thing you can do is kill humans and try to survive?"

 "you know another way to grow food for a desperate population stuck underground?" He shrugged, adding another crack to the souls. "if i could, i'd do something else, but as it stands, y'all make a good food source. heal souls, and have enough magic to make you and anything else consumable without messing with our initial magical make up." He sighed, a sound that was muffled and forced through his teeth. "you can go on and on about what's right and wrong, but those are dead bodies. why waste and dump them deeper underground for the maggots?"

"Or you can try to break the barrier?"

"oh, there's an original idea

"If it was so original you would have tried it already. What do you need? One of the sigil runes or something?" 

Another deep sigh escaped the skeleton, and he shut his sockets. "you know, if this was another world, you would still whine about this entire situation. a situation i never even asked for..." He opened his sockets again. "we need seven human souls. and we can't keep any of them since they make for good food. six humans, including you, have fallen down here. we'd be good as out if things were different." 

"But..."

"oh, and that ain't the best part," He said. "that's how many've fallen in a month. could've left several times over." A dark chuckle escaped his mouth, and the souls cracked even further. "we're all gonna die down here. it's just best not to burden everyone else."

"So you're just gonna give up then?"

"you have seven spare souls i need to know about?" You opened your mouth, but he cut you off. "you're stalling. that little burst of determination can only do so much. You wanna be our hero? wanna figure out how to break the barrier? fine. be my guest. but being a martyr isn't going to do anything."

 You stared at the little orange soul. No matter what option you chose, you were condemning someone to die. Someone had to be used to further an end. Someone wasn't going to get a chance to escape this place...

But it sure as hell wasn't you.

* * *

After an awkward, and very orange faced, Papyrus dropped off something to eat, Sans devoured the stew like a man eating his final meal. Yet every drop caused the fissure in both your souls to heal up, until they were healthy and bright. Yours sang with a melancholy piano melody that was on par with the electronic melody that was slipping from Sans's soul, the same hell song you'd been hearing the whole time you stayed in the skeleton household. "And we're connected by it?"

"nah, you're just hearing my soul frequency." He lifted the spoon, but it went no where near his mouth. He had a habit of moving away entirely until you couldn't see his mouth in order to eat. "i can hear yours too since we're soul mates and all."

When he said the word, the pulsing light from your soul slowed, but the brightness was still there. You knew nothing of souls and magic, before now you thought souls was something you collected in a game, but they were real. They were real, and what you did affected them. Sans's axe chopped both yours and his in half, and a bowl of soup healed it. Now you knew that he could more or less sense you through a mediocre song. Maybe that was why Sans was suspicious the night he came home drunk, he had heard something off with your frequency. 

"i can practically hear you scheming with our souls out like this." Sans said, refilling his spoon. "you've got no tact."

"Huh?"

"your soul frequency is ridiculously loud." He reiterated. "i can hear it without trying. then again, i am your dominant, so it makes sense. just stop scheming and relax."

"wait, dominant?" Your eyes narrowed, but you didn't have enough feelings in your legs to move away. "I'm not having sex with you."

"good. i wasn't offering." He pushed aside the now empty bowl. The souls were devoid of holes, but there were still major cracks in them. You wondered if they would ever be healed. "dominant souls do the protecting, while submissive souls are the core for off-spring. our jobs are different, so our abilities within the bond are different. but, we're not gonna focus on that." He picked up his axe and hefted into the air. "where'd you get this?"

"Papyrus."

"figured, but that doesn't tell me anything." Light glinted off the sharp blade, making it look far more scary than it already was. "what would make a girl, who's been holed up in my room all this time, suddenly decide to take my cleaver and threaten me with it? all for something she could loot from a corpse."

"..."

He sighed and twirled the blade in his hand. Around and around it went, like a macabre merry go round of sorts. "it's alright. you don't have to tell. heh, figuring it out is only _half_ the fun." 

"So what, you're gonna chop off my legs now?" You asked. "Turn me into a doll you can come home to or something?"

"nah, too much work." He stopped twirling the weapon. "i thought of something that might mean a little more to you human." He held out a bony hand towards you. "let's start over. the name's sans. sans the skeleton. i eat humans and i think you're my soul mate."

 You stared at him for a moment, before glancing down at his hand. Just like when it came to allowing Sans to eat a human, or denying him, this felt like a critical decision. You could easily turn him away, and deny him his forgiveness. You'd done it a million times before. You didn't forgive easily, often leaning against the heavy emotions of hurt and betrayal. And yet, Sans was willing to wipe the slate with you. Forget about this, the ration chips, and...What? You both were connected by souls, but what did he was t with you?

What did you want?

Did you want a future forever in this tiny room, or did you want to go home?

You unfurled your fingers out of the mattress, your stomach churning. You'd already smashed your morals against the floor in self-preservation. Why not throw away someone's trust in new beginnings as well?

You extended your hand and took Sans's, the cold bone chilling your skin. "hello, i'm an idiot human that's desperate to get home."


	14. The Day After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Day after the incident isn't too bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> Ah, filler. How I hate thee.

You woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. You opened your eyes and blinked away the sleep, the colors blurring and mixing together. Once you got your bearings, you realized you were on the bed. You were bundled up in a blanket, with Sans only inches away from you. His sockets were shut, and his arms were wrapped around your stomach. At some point he had pushed up your borrowed T-shirt, and his sharp fingers dug into the soft flesh of your stomach. Sans looked peaceful, the smile on his face smaller, showing less of his teeth. It was probably a more 'real' smile than the one he wore on a day to day basis. He must have slept good last night, or just couldn't close his mouth all the way.

You pressed your heels into the matress, and pushed upward. The skeleton's arms slipped down to your waist, but he didn't let go. You were somehow closer now, your face close to his head, and his skull pressed into your chest. You could feel the ridges of his bones digging into your skin. It felt too intimate to you, and you struggled against his steel grip. It didn't disturb Sans in the least, and eventually you sagged back into the bed. You knew Sans wasn't a heavy sleeper, on more than one occasion you'd seen him wake-up by just the front door opening. If anything, he was probably awake and doing this all to spite you. 

You sighed and tucked yourself deeper into the blanket, but a shimmer of something caught your eye. You sat up, and frowned when you noticed the hole inside Sans's skull. You'd been curious as to why it existed, but didn't ask. In a way, you felt it would be rude to do so. Like asking an army vet why he was missing a leg, something you didn't do out of politeness. But that didn't mean you couldn't investigate, especially since he was so busy 'sleeping'. 

You leaned over the skeleton, peering into the dark pit that was his cracked skull. The skull itself was jagged, and the hole was rather wide and almost perfect all the way around, hinting that it probably wasn't an accident. The inside of his skull was dark, so dark that it rivaled the night sky, or your basement. However it wasn't the darkness that made your eyes widen, it was the _smile_. A large grin was situated in the dark hole, it was composed of sharp fangs that was twisted with something dark writhing between them. As if it noticed you, the smile became wider, and the darkness began to ooze and bubble. You wanted to look away from the monstrosity, but it felt like you were being hypnotized. 

A flash of crimson and a tight grin filled your vision, breaking you out of your trance. You blinked several times, and found yourself staring at Sans's face. He held his ever amused smile, but his grip was far too tight on your waist. "you having fun?"

"..."

"curiosity killed the rat." He said. "a dose of reality brought it back."

"I'm sorry."

He just shrugged, but didn't let go of you. "so we're still doing the new start thing, or was that just yesterday's fad?"

Technically you didn't agree to it, but saying so would only piss the skeleton off. Instead you nodded. "I was just curious about your injury. Sorry..."

"that it? you coulda just asked."

"That's rude."

He shrugged again. Part of you should've known Sans wasn't the type to keep with decorum and social etiquette. However, you still felt uncomfortable just bringing it up without really knowing anything about Sans, or having any real relationship with him. A heavy knock at your door pulled you out of your thoughts. "SANS, HUMAN SISTER, IT'S TIME TO STOP YOUR CANOODLING AND GET DOWNSTAIRS."

Sans groaned and buried his head into your neck. He muttered something to himself before letting go of you and rolling out of the bed. He fell to the floor with a bang, but picked himself up, his axe in hand. He twirled it around as he made his way to the door. "be good, alright? i'm not taking you today since you got pretty banged up last night."

"..."

"uh," He opened up the door, letting in a warm breeze. "if you want, there's some movies downstairs you can watch. nothing but shitty romcoms and old mettaton skits, but they work."

Sans had never given you permission to leave the room while he was gone. In fact, he always kept the door locked, and rarely let you out even when he was home. He must have been serious about the whole 'New Beginnings' thing. "Thanks."

He shrugged and left out the door, the familiar click of a lock strangely absent. 

* * *

 After Sans had left, you had crept downstairs. You had thought he was bluffing at first, and had put far too much pressure on the door. You'd almost fell face first when you opened it, the door itself hitting the wall. Thankfully it didn't leave any dents or scrapes, you were sure Papyrus would have killed you if you did. Your fingers curled around the wooden banister as you got to the final stair, and peered into the living room. No one was there, and the TV was off, the silence was a bit disturbing to you. 

You jumped off the bottom stair and crept across the living room carpet. Surprisingly it felt pretty soft, you had expected it to feel crunchy considering all the grime the three of you marched through every day. You stopped in the middle of the room, and began popping your fingers. Now that you had free reign to the entire house, you needed a shower. Sans hadn't offered you one your entire visit. Being a little grimy you didn't mind, but there was marrow all over your thighs. It almost looked like someone had sprayed tinted cum on you. 

You glanced around the room,but only saw an opening into the kitchen. Last you checked there was no other openings in the kitchen. That meant you needed to go clean up in the sink. You trudged into the kitchen and grabbed one of the dining chairs, the wood scraping against the tile. When it was finally in place, you climbed on top of it, just to find you still couldn't reach the top. You stood on your tip toes, and scrambled up, pulling yourself onto the stone counter top. The cold made goosebumps break out along your skin, but you couldn't bring yourself to mind as steam and hot water began to fill the basin. 

You pushed up the t-shirt you were wearing and grabbed a banged up bottle of dish soap. You flicked open the top and  squirted the apple smelling liquid on your thighs, before scrubbing away with your hands. The murky liquid swirled down the sink, an off grayish red that made your nose wrinkle in disgust. You needed a proper shower, if Sans was going to be all nice, maybe he would take you to the nearest bathhouse or something. Being a skeleton, you supposed it made sense he didn't have a shower, even if it was inconvenient for you. 

You shut off the water, and carefully twisted back around. After a few deep breaths, you dropped down onto the chair. It creaked under your weight, but didn't fall apart. You then dropped down onto the floor with a sigh of relief. After putting the chair back in its rightful place, you went back to the living room. Now that you were marginally cleaner, you could think about your next plan of attack.

Well, figuratively speaking, anyway. 

It was obvious Sans couldn't be bullied into giving you a ration chip. In fact, he claimed you could loot one off of anybody. Which meant that the two different monsters that you had seen, or knew, Sans murdered might have had one on their person. But it had been awhile since both incidents, didn't that mean they were already swept up or destroyed by now?

You flopped onto the couch, the springs digging into your back and ass. You wished you had a cellphone right now so you could just call Flowey and talk to him. If you at least knew what a ration chip looked like, it would make part of your hunt easier. You frowned when you caught a glimpse of something blue in the corner of the room. It was a lighter shade than the carpet, but close enough that it was easy to look over it if you weren't paying attention. You pushed yourself up and trudged over, just to find a month eaten scrap of a sock. There were a few faded sticky notes attached to it. Even on the wall you could see a few arrows drawn in red crayon pointing to the sock. 

You raised an eyebrow, but decided against questioning it any further. It looked like either an elaborate gag, or some kind of inside joke that you had no business disturbing. Now that you thought about it, you really didn't know much about your captors. Outside of Sans's sloppy ways and being able to read faces, and Papyrus's love for cooking and puzzles. Maybe if you got to know the brothers as people instead of aggressors, you would be able to make some progress with your mission. 

And what better way to get to know someone than by snooping through their room?

* * *

Sans sighed and opened up the door to Grillby's, the smoke and sizzling pop of grease beckoning him in. He was supposed to go straight home after lunch and check on the human, but he felt emotionally drained. Yesterday had taken a toll on him, he didn't feel ready to go traipsing back to the human quite yet. None of the usuals were in the bar yet,leaving the skeleton plenty of room at the bar. He hopped onto one if the barstools, and waved the fire elemental over. "get me a burg, grillbz."

 The fire elemental took one of them off the stove, and put it on an off green bun. He then slid the plate over to Sans, who just barely caught it. He picked up the meal and inspected it for a moment, before fishing into his pocket, and dragging out an obsidian circle. It was as thick as two coins, and had a small sea shell insignia stamped into it. Sans tossed it over, the fire elemental snatched it out of the air. He inserted it into a small machine, and a plume of dark purple smoke rose from it.

"heh, looks like you've got tech trouble again." He swallowed his food and watched the bartender remove the stone, setting it to the side and sliding the entire machine closer to Sans. "well i would help you, really i would, but that would mean you'd dock me for your grub. not something i'm looking forward to." Three thick fingers waved in the air, making Sans roll his eye. The fire elemental added another finger, and tapped the stone twice. "throw in one of your animal burgs and you've got yourself a deal."

A low grumble echoed through the shop, before a flaming hand reached out across the bar top. Sans wiped his hand against his basketball shorts, before taking his hand in Grillby's and giving it a firm shake. With that task out of the way, the skeleton could say he had gotten some work done. He secured food for himself and his brother for tonight, and the human right off the books. Now all he had to do was actually go down to his lab and fiddle with some things, and he could call this day productive. 

Hell, he'd even looked into the issue with Ginny and her family. According to Ginny's old man, the little girl had ran off after an argument and had gotten entangled in the traps. Of course it didn't count for why Ginny had such a weak soul. Even when a monster took damage, their soul's power didn't deplete, the soul just became damaged. However, Ginny's soul had lost a significant amount of power. It was as if someone had used it for a battery, then left her on empty. Something that he only remembered from his stint back in the lab. Last he checked he, and maybe Alphys, were the only ones who knew how to suck power from a soul. It took a lot of heavy machinery and made a big enough light show to mimic Wishing Day. Something like that was pretty noticeable, and couldn't be hidden in the Mc'Dolsers tiny house.

Unless they transported Ginny.

The skeleton stuffed the rest of his burger into his maw, and pushed the plate away. It was a pretty decent theory, now that he thought about it, and travel between the different caverns had increased in the last fourth years. It wouldn't be very hard to believe that several monsters wouldn't be the least bit noticeable as they transported a single child all the way to a lab in Hotland. With Alphys being...Well, whatever Alphys was now, he guessed it would be easy for them to get a hold of the equipment. And it didn't take a lot of science know how to figure things out. Just basic knowledge of monster souls and frequencies,something every monster grew up learning about.

His train of thought was cut off by a loud clang, and the old cash register plopped in front of him. Sans kept his smile on hi face, not wanting to snap at the man who was giving him free food. "heh, sorry grillbz. got caught up in the food. let me go get some tools from my place, and i'll fix this right up."

 The smoke that made up his eyes twisted around, but the bartender said nothing. It was probably better that way, Sans really didn't want to deal with a vocal Grillby.

* * *

You flipped through a yellowed book. It was mostly numbers and letters, with a few diagrams strewn here and there. You had found it in Sans's room between his mattress and the wall. It was a math book of some kind, and you could barely read it. You had never been the best at mathematics, but this stuff looked like it belonged on a professor's chalk board. You hadn't pegged Sans as someone who had any interest in that type of thing. Maybe it was because he was too coarse, or didn't flaunt his intelligence. You'd met a few professors and 'smart' people before, all of them acted a bit high and mighty, or would flaunt their intelligence with every chance they got. Sans just didn't act either way, he was rather blunt and seemed more like the person in the back row who wasn't likely to finish their papers on time. 

You yawned and shut the book, letting it sit in your lap. So far you hadn't learned much about your captors. They really didn't have much. Well, Papyrus had more things than Sans did, but he was so organized you had been afraid to touch his things. You were sure Sans would never forgive you if he found out you messed around in Papyrus's room without permission. That left you with messing around in Sans's pigsty of a bedroom. 

Speak of the devil...

The skeleton stared down at you, his smile screwed in place as he stood in the doorway. "hey, you been good?"

"...Yeah."

He walked over to you, hands shoved in his jacket pockets as he squat down in front of you. His single pupil studied your face, before he plucked the book out of your lap. He glanced down to look at the title, and his smile widened. "heh, looks like one of my old reads. didn't think you'd be into basic quantum mechanics."

"I was bored." You said, the answer sounding dry even to you. "I can't understand it though, it's all Greek to me. You must be pretty smart though."

Sans stared at the book a moment longer before throwing it onto the bed. "nah, just found it interesting. not much for entertainment down here. heh, you're probably the most interesting thing to fall down here in awhile." The monster stood up and ambled to his closet. "anyway, i'm not staying here, just came to pick up some stuff and dash." He bent down and picked up a screwdriver, and twirled it between his fingers and made his way back over to you. "you know, i thought you wouldn't wanna be in my room anymore. something change your mind?"

It was obvious he didn't buy your earlier lie, but you weren't sure how to word the truth either. He was insisting that the two of you have a fresh start built on trust, so wouldn't it be normal for you to be curious? "I..."

"well if you wanna stay stuck in here, i ain't gonna complain." He said with a shrug as he walked past you. "makes my life easier."

"Because I won't get eaten if I stay with you?"

He glanced back to you, his smile still in place, but pupil shining a bit brighter. The over all effect made him look far more demonic than he usually did. "you're safer with me on a rampage than out there on a good day. this world wants to kill you, treat. you're just lucky I'm invested in you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned how much I hate filler? The full impact of how Reader and Sans are affected by their soul mate bond, and how truth is out in the open is gonna be explored for the next few chapters. Basically meaning it's gonna be filler for the next little whilem. So come suggest stuff you wanna see. I already have one thing lined up for the next chapter, but I wanna see what fun things you wanna see. Inception!
> 
> Know what isn't inception? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com
> 
> (What do Just even mean anymore...)


	15. Instinct and Logic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has a hard time keeping his instincts in check.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> An anon actually suggested this to me awhile ago, and this was the perfect spot to throw this chapter in.

The smell hit him full on like a cave in. It was metallic, warm, and made his tongue summon on instinct. He sat up in bed and glanced around, half expecting to see a breakfast tray in his bed. Instead he only saw the human, curled up at the foot of the bed with her t-shirt riding all the way up to her ass, showing off her grey panties that now had a giant red stain. He crawled closer to her, and the smell of blood became poignant.  

The human was bleeding. 

His instincts broke out of his well guarded prison, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. He twisted her body around, earning a yelp from her, and yanked her panties down her thighs. The human's legs kicked out, and she tried to push him away, but he didn't budge. Someone had harmed his human in his sleep, and his mind was clattering to find someone to blame so he could tear them to shreds. He tried to ignore the cacophony playing in his head as he spread the human's legs, searching for the injury. " **Who hurt you**?" 

"You are, stop!"   

He halted his movements, his grip still firm on her thighs as he stared down at the human. Her mouth was open and her breathing heavy, some of the blood had smeared onto her arms. The piano music was still blazing in his head, but it was now tight instead of an outright cacophony. She was weary of him, and this made him grit his teeth. "why're you bleeding?" 

"It's my monthly cycle, my body is supposed to do that." She reached up and grabbed his hand, trying to pry his phalanges off her flesh. "Let go of me."

He dropped her legs onto the bed, and she scrambled to pull up her panties. Once they were on she crawled to the other side of the bed, and tucked her knees to her chest. In this position she looked far more submissive than she usually did. The thought made his instincts twist in his skull, mingling too close to his sanity. He grit his teeth further, but didn't try to come closer to the human. He could understand why she was so weary of him, to anyone seeing his actions, it probably looked like he was trying to rape her. His instincts flared at the thought, and he had to stuff them down further as anger began to course through his bones. 

"Hey," He glanced over to the human. "I know you guys don't have a bathroom or anything, but I really need a shower or something."

"..."

She sighed and lifted her head from her knees. "I'm going to be bleeding for the next week, so I need to get cleaned up and get something to keep my messes to a minimum. Please."

A whole week of her smelling like an exotic treat? Yeah, like he would be able to keep his cool around that. He got out of bed and grabbed a cleanish t-shirt from off the floor, and a pair of sweats. "come on. i got an idea."

She crawled out of bed and followed behind him. They passed Papyrus, who was working on something in the kitchen, but he didn't seem to notice as he hummed a tune off key. Sans shrugged off his sweater, and handed it to the human. She easily slipped into it, and it did a bang up job covering her scent. He grabbed the hood and forced it over her head, effectively covering her face. Well, that would have to do for now. "you're gonna have to go without shoes."

"In the snow?" Her words got high at the end, hinting at irritation.

"we're going to the shed, you'll survive."

 He opened up the door and shuddered. It was colder than usual, the wind had picked up and brought the thick smell of smoke. An eruption must have happened in Hotland, and Snowdin was working overtime to fix the change in 'climate'. He picked up the shuddering human, and made his way down the ice slicked stairs. With her squished into his ribs, she looked more like a dead body, or irregular shaped package. Plus, any sneaky bastard that hung around the shed would only find his set of footprints. He glanced down at the human, the smell of blood practically pouring over his sensory magic. He kicked the shed open, jostling the human in his arms. Her fingers curled into his shirt as she fought to steady herself, her fingers scratching against his bones. 

His reaction was immediate.

He hissed and dropped her to the floor, his magic boiling in his bones. She glared up at him, her legs akimbo and the hood of the jacket sliding off her head. She glared up at him, but he ignored it in favor of grabbing a large rectangular container and going back outside. The cold helped cool down his body and drag him back into reality. The human did not want to fuck him, she had made that clear. Furthermore, he had no intentions in fucking her. She had no idea what touching his ribs meant, the same way she didn't understand what popping her joints did to him. 

He stabbed the container into a nearby snow drift, and pulled it upward, filling it with snow. Seeing as how it was almost full, he began to drag it back to the shed. Moments like this made him miss using the full extent of his magic. He wouldn't have to drag the heavy container back to the shed, or pry the human off of him by hand. Hell, he could have just kept her in place for an entire week if he really wanted to. He paused in his trek, a hand touching the cracks that extended from the hole in his head. Yup, today was going to be a good day to drink.

* * *

 You stared at the small heater Sans had hooked up next to a giant container full of melting snow. Making a make shift bath like this was pretty clever. And having forgone a bath since the ruins...Well, you didn't have it in you to complain. You glanced over to the skeleton sitting in front of the door. He had a knife in hand and was twirling it around while staring at nothing in particular, his smile in place. You weren't able to read Sans's facial expressions, but even you could tell something was wrong. Even the melody in your head was a little faster than usual. 

You sighed and dipped a hand into the water, and was surprised to find it warm already. Well, warm was too strong a word. Mildly room temperature was probably a better way to describe it. You straightened up and began to unzip the sweater, when you caught sight of a bright red pupil staring at you.

Of course.

"Sans, could you...?"

The skeleton's grin widened, and his gaze became sharper. "what?"

You didn't know why you were even asking him to leave. He was a skeleton for God's sake! The worst he could do was stare at you while you undressed. Deciding to compromise with your sense of decency, you turned on your heel and began to undress. You put all the clothes into a neat pile and turned back around. You ignored the skeleton and dipped your toes into the water, before letting your entire leg dip into it. You hummed and sank to your knees, the water coming up to your ribs. This felt far better than you thought it would. It was amazing how simple things like a bath became so important after being denied for so long. 

Now if only you had some soap...

"Hey, Sans." You still didn't look at him, your eyes fixed to the water. "Could you please get the soap from the kitchen?"

 "you really don't wanna be alone right now."

"I'm soaked and naked, I'm not gonna run away from you." 

"that ain't what i'm worried about..." You heard cloth shift. "you smell different, and the wind was blowing while we were outside. every monster in snowdin got a whiff of you. leaving you alone is asking for a death wish."

"And if I die, you die?" 

"nah," He said. "it's not that simple. the rule of thumb is that any soul damage done to my soul is duplicated to yours and vice versa. your physical body could get hacked to bits, and i'd be fine. in the case where you die without actual soul damage being used, i'd live through it just fine." He gave a short laugh. "aren't we lucky, soul inflicted damage is pretty rare. no sane person walks around with their soul outside their body. of course there's emotional state and other variables, but that's the simplified version."

"That's why three days ago..."

"yup."

You both sat in silence for a few moments. The fact that you were both bound to each other really escaped you sometimes. It wasn't as obvious as the wedding ring on your finger, or the paperwork in your safe. It was disturbing that your life force was linked to his, and you had been convinced through such a brutal method. You wondered if there was a rune in magic that had something similar, and if your husband had ever thought about linking both of your lives together. Maybe not by souls, to your knowledge they didn't exist in the conventional sense to most humans, but joined your life spans or something. You held up your hand, your wedding ring glinting in the low light. 

It was amazing how small things you took for granted back on the surface. When you finally got out of this hell hole, telling your husband 'I love you' was going to be the first things you did when you saw him again. 

* * *

The next week flew by. Sans rarely stayed in the house, only coming by to drop off the monster equivalent of tampons, and insisted you stay inside the whole time. Papyrus took pity on you, and would watch movies with you in the living room. Outside of the evenings, you didn't have any social I interaction with anyone. At first you thought you would treasure this time, but it quickly became boring. You treasured those moments with Papyrus, and found yourself going to the bottom of the stairs when you heard him gallop up the steps. 

Papyrus was scary in his own way. He was loud, his form threatening, and he used too much force no matter what it was he was doing. However, he was kind to you. He was earnest when he said you were his sister, and tried to include you in his life. He still referred to you as 'human' and didn't like to touch you, but he was well meaning all things considered. 

So, you were surprised when Papyrus didn't get home today. You knew he worked a lot, but usually he was good about telling everyone his whereabouts. After awhile you crept downstairs and went to sort through the old tapes. They had a ton of them, though most were light hearted romance or Mettaton videos. So far you thought Mettaton was a bit of an over actor, but had decent singing ability. You also enjoyed looking at his costumes, they were always expressive and didn't hold back. 

You paused in your work as you glanced back to the lonely couch. You should probably go look for a blanket or something that would fit both you and Papyrus. It had gotten colder recently, and he would probably want to get comfortable. You stood up and hurried up the stairs, humming a familiar tune. 

* * *

Sans was drunk.

He had been in a drunken daze for almost a week now, but this...This really took the cake. Enough scotch to fill his conjured stomach to the brim, and a few shots of vodka to cement his demise. It was a good thing he hadn't gotten any food, he was sure he would be expelling plenty of access magic. 

He hauled himself up the icy steps, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets. He could feel the extra magic boiling inside his body, swirling and sparking, just ready to be released. He kicked open the door and shuffled into the house, his eye taking in the room for a short moment, just to find the couch empty. For the last three nights he had found Papyrus and the human lounging on the couch and watching shitty movies. They, meaning Papyrus, would ask him to join them, but he always refused and would crash straight to bed. Not seeing them pulled him from his drunken haze, his magic ready to strike at a moment's notice.

He peered into the kitchen, just to find it empty. Turning on his heel he crept up the stairs and peeked into his brother's room, which also turned up empty. He grit his teeth and walked down to his own bedroom. He twisted the doorknob, and pressed his weight against the door. Standing next to his bed was the human. She had his blanket in hand, and was attempting to fold it. As she did that, she hummed a song that was eerily familiar to him.

His soul frequency.

The very song that helped make up his being, she was humming it. His instincts flared to life, pleased that the human was acknowledging him in some way. The logical part of his brain scrambled for excuses, but none came. Not in his drunken state, not when she smelt so fucking good. He crept over to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her entire body stiffened under him and her humming stopped, but he didn't care as he nuzzled his nasal cavity into her neck.

God she smelled so good. He wondered why it always smelled good along her neck, clearly a human thing. He dragged it along her neck, savoring the gasps and her questioning tone. She always had to know what was going on. Why didn't she ever just accept things they way they were? Life would be so much easier if she did. Not only her life, but his life too. She had no idea how much she put him and Papyrus at risk by keeping her here. Alive. 

He increased his grip on her body, savoring the feeling of warmth against his bones. It was similar to the erratic fire that was Grillby, but something much calmer and tame. If he was honest with himself, he liked it. If he continued to be honest with himself, he probably would have enjoyed her once upon a time. But as it stood he had a brother, and his life was fucked, and she was a married human with a conscious that would make the angels proud. He pressed his weight down on her, forcing her knees to buckle and fall to the the bed. He pressed his knees to either side of her hips and nuzzled into her neck.

Yup, he was fucked. 

His instincts wanted the human, while he actually wanted nothing to do with her. Taking her right now would probably shut them up for awhile, and he could continue his life at his own leisure, his instincts shut up and satisfied with something he did. His hands trailed up to her tits, eliciting a garbled sob from the human. If he did what his instincts wanted, then he would have lost the fight. He'd be further tied with her, and getting rid of the bond would be harder to do and accept later on. That was the goal after all, getting rid of this accidental bond. 

"you're a real pain in my ass, ya know that." He huffed out, voice muffled by her hair. He ignored the sob that escaped her, as he slipped his hands from under her, and rolled to the side, falling face first onto his pillow. He peeked a glance at her, but only saw her back. Her shoulders shook, and her arms curled around her waist. "it's not the worse thing that can happen, treat. we haven't hit the bottom of the barrel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, that's a thing. Reader had her period, and it drove Sans up a wall. Meanwhile Reader is becoming more comfortable with Papyrus, and is coming to grips with the soul bond. Oh, and Reader finally got clean.
> 
> So the next chapter will be Papyrus related filler, and the after math of this chapter, before we move back to plot land, and wrap up the first...arc? Yeah, sure. Whoo! So organized.
> 
> Know what isn't organized? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com
> 
> (Seriously, I've been working on organising it recently.)


	16. Needs of the Few

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You bond with Papyrus for the day. Meanwhile, Sans once again takes care of business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Medium
> 
> Look, we have Gore ladies and gentlemen!

You woke up the next morning to find Sans already awake.  He sat on the edge of the bed, hands to his skull, and shoulders hunched. He was the perfect image of a well worn man who had a massive hangover. A bit of satisfaction buzzed in your head at the sight. After last night's fiasco, you really couldn't bring yourself to feel bad for him. You sat up and crawled out of the bed, earning the skeleton's attention. His red pupil watched as you adjusted your clothes and smoothed back your hair. The bare minimum of a morning routine, but it was the best you had at the moment.    

Once you felt as presentable as you could get, you went to the small pile of clothes that were more or less yours, and put on a pair of stained socks that were a size too big, and a pair of worn blue tennis shoes. The whole time Sans just stared, a buzzing silence between the two of you. Once dressed you went to his side of the bed, hands crossed over your chest."Ready?"   

"well aren't you full of surprises."   

"I'm always ready before you." You glanced to the door, a frown on your lips. "Where's Papyrus? He's always up before both of us."  

"probably had to stay with undyne." He shrugged. "happens." 

Wood scraping against bone echoed through the room, before it became muffled by shoes. Sans grabbed his jacket off the floor, and tossed it on. You both went down the stairs to the living room, just to find Papyrus on the couch. He was in a heap, dark splotches on his bones, and a familiar red and yellow liquid seeping from one of his arms. His sockets were shut though, you weren't sure if he was dead or asleep. 

Sans ambled over to his brother, and stuck a hand under his armor. You heard a low hiss and a small grey flash, before Sans retracted his hand. It was covered in a slimy liquid, that he wiped off on his shorts. He turned back to you, his smile so wide you thought his skull would split in two. "i gotta go out for a bit. you take care of him, yeah?" 

You didn't get a chance to disagree as he went put the door, the house shaking when he closed it. You glanced from the door, back to the skeleton on the couch. If you waited a good thirty minutes, Sans would be halfway put of Snowdin. You could patch Papyrus up the best you could, and then go look for a ration chip. You went to the kitchen and began rummaging through the drawers, dodging mousetrap and knives that had chipped blades.  

You felt horrible, thinking of Papyrus as nothing but a pawn. The taller skeleton had been nothing but kind to you. He really didn't deserve such a crass push off like that. You ignored the thoughts when you found a grey kitchen towel with a turkey printed on it. You grabbed it and hurried back to the living room, kneeling down next to the couch. You pressed the towel to his arm, and began to wipe up the putrid smelling mess. The whole time the skeleton didn't stir, and you were almost certain Sans was in denial.  

You went back to the kitchen and dumped the towel into the sink, before retrieving another. You repeated the process until you ran out of towels. Not sure what else to do, you climbed up the sink and began to rinse them out, one by one. When they were cleaned and wrung out, you took them back to the living room, just to find Papyrus sitting up. His injured arm was limp at his side, while the other scratched at his skull. His gaze caught the gaping you, and his smile grew. "HUMAN, GOOD AFTERNOON!" 

"Papyrus-" 

He pulled himself off the couch. "I SEE YOU WERE CLEANING MY MESS, I WAS GOING TO WAKE UP, BUT IT SEEMS MY BROTHER'S BAD HABITS ENTRAPPED ME." 

"Papyrus, your arm." You went over to him, and pressed your fingers against the ruptured bone. "What happened?" 

You heard bone scrape against bone as he lifted his arm out of your grasp. IT'S NOTHING, REALLY. I WAS JUST TRAINING WITH UNDYNE." He laughed, something that sounded far too hallow for the excitable skeleton. "GUESS I DIDN'T DODGE." 

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. Sans had mentioned Undyne, and that she was in charge. Papyrus had also mentioned that his job was dangerous. But was the dangerous thing about his job his boss? Your fingers curled onto your towel, guilt eating at your heart. And to think you had thought of him as a pawn earlier, that made you no better than Undyne, didn't it? 

But you needed to get out of here.  

Why was it so hard? To just do what needed to be done? That was why you spent three years in misery, because you couldn't tell anyone about the mess your mother became. It was bound to happen again. You wouldn't take the necessary steps, and it would lead you to something worse than dragging home your mother from a bar in the middle of the night. 

You took a step forward, then another, before pushing Papyrus onto the couch. The skeleton yelped, and fell in a jumble of bones and cloth. You put one hand on your hip, and clutched the towels with the other. "Listen up, Papyrus. You're about to help me with something." 

* * *

Sans let his magic absorb the smoke that entered his ribcage, before it curled out through his eye sockets and the hole in his skull. He stared down at guard, his foot hurried in their back. "come on, dogaressa. you went with pap to the capital, you outta know what happened."

"If I knew, I would've told you." She gasped and tried to move away as he allowed more of his weight to fall onto her, sparks of violet dust rising into the air. "I'm telling you I don't know!"

"well i would believe you, but uh," His gaze went to the two axes stabbed into a nearby juniper as he tossed away his cigarette, a low hiss and steam emitting from the snow where it fell. "you didn't know about a cannibal, either." His gaze went back to the wounded guard dog. "so. what happened?"

A pitiful whine escaped her muzzle, but nothing else. Sans sighed and scratched at the hole on his head. The wet squelching sound made his spine crawl. "Maybe you could ask Undyne. You're able to leave and enter the capital whenever you want."

"well, we all know how that would turn out..." He sighed and brought his cleaver from his shoulder. "you know, i could dust you right now. leave your dust for the cannibals...but, that would be boring, huh?" He stepped off her body and twirled his cleaver between his phalanges. He watched as the dog scrambled up, her single eye staring at him with a glare. "hey, unlike some people, i'm not a liar."

She went to the tree, her front to him, and pulled the two axes out of the flimsy wood. She clipped one to her back, and held the other. Once she was a good distance away, she turned on her heel and ran. Sans watched the woman disappear into the trees, before making his way back to his sentry station. He gave a small yawn and scratched at his head again. Whelp, that was a gigantic waste of time.

Time for a nap. 

* * *

You tossed out the old water off Sans's balcony, before making your way back inside. You had managed to clean up most of Papyrus's arm. Now it needed to be set in a cast or something. Which, of course, was outside your expertise. You wondered if Sans had anything in his room to help with that. He was a skeleton, breaks might be common for them. You glanced around the cluttered room, cradling the plastic bowl to your chest. It was the same as ever, just a growing pile of clothes. You sighed and went back downstairs. Papyrus was watching some old tape with a few books piled beside him. You'd done your best to make him comfortable, but couldn't bring yourself to get him food. You were afraid to even open up the blood smeared fridge. 

You sighed and sat next to the skeleton, setting the bowl onto the floor next to your feet. Papyrus looked away from the TV, his happy demeanor still in place. "SISTER, YOU MISSED THE BEST PART. METTATON WAS CONFESSING HIS LOVE TO HIS BEST FRIEND'S LOVER."

"Sorry, Papyrus." You leaned against the back of the couch, the springs eating at you. "I was finishing up the cleaning." You gestured to his arm. "Do you have a sling or something for that?"

"NO." Papyrus thought for a moment. "SANS WILL PROBABLY BRING THE DOCTOR LATER. WELL, HE'S NOT A DOCTOR, BUT HE'S THE ONLY PERSON WHO KNOWS GREEN MAGIC." His smile drooped at the edges. "SANS KNEW GREEN MAGIC BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. HE USED TO HEAL ME ALL THE TIME AS A BABY BONES." He shook his head. "WELL, I'D RATHER HAVE MY BROTHER IN ONE MORE OR LESS PIECE, THAN NO BROTHER AT ALL."

 Healing magic? Well now that piqued your interest. Sans had mentioned the doctor before, though. You thought strings had to be pulled to get him to help. You were pulled from your thoughts as Papyrus scrambled over to the tape player, and took out the finished one. "ANOTHER MOVIE?"

You gave a small smile. "Sure."

* * *

Sans kicked aside the pebbles that blocked his path as he walked through Waterfall. It was getting pretty late, and most people were probably done scrambling for the doctor. He hadn't wanted to leave Papyrus in that sort of position, but no one could know about the human. If word got back to Undyne before he was ready...Well, her head wasn't the only one that was gonna roll. 

If the human was even around.

After what he did last night, he wouldn't be too surprised if she ditched Papyrus and left. He would have set up some bones, but then it would exert energy he didn't have. Why couldn't this happen when he hadn't been guzzling liquor for a week straight? He sighed and stopped outside a small cave, hands stuck in his jacket pockets. He glanced around a final time, before kicking the small post outside of the cave.

The loud noise caused some of the rats to retreat back into their burrowed, and the bats to squawk. However, it was the heavy steps of a brittle body threaded Sans look up from the ground. The old tortoise had a magnifying glass in one hand, and an old bottle in the other. His working eye squinted before he gave a deep belly laugh. "Well, if it isn't you. Thought you avoided this place like the plague."

"well, the doctor's usually close to the sickness..."

The old man beckoned the skeleton into his shop, his creaky breathing echoing through the cave. "Come on, boy. Better come in doors, you don't want Undyne spotting you."

Sans followed him inside, his magic adjusting to the dim light of the shop, casting a red glare among the items on display. There was a bit of everything in this place. Healing teas, old human tools, even the occasional book. Sans paused when he saw a worm eaten copy of _Scientific American_.

"Is that what you came down here for?" The man said, settling onto a metal bar stool, the springs groaning under his weight. The bottle now on a rack full of similar ones behind him. "Or did you actually want something?"

He turned away completely from the distraction. "i need you to heal pap's arm."

"That so?"

"everything from his carpals to his humerus." Sans fished his hand out of his pocket, revealing a burnt ration chip. He tossed it to the old man, who caught it easily enough. "take what you want."

"Sans, you know it doesn't work that way." He looked up from the chip. "How badly injured is he? Wasting magic on a dust bound monster isn't something I'm looking forward to."

"just his arm."

The silence between them buzzed, their stares unwavering. After a few moments, Gerson tossed back the ration chip. "If it's just his arm, pry it off. I know you skeletons can regrow bones."

Sans felt his smile twitch. "you know pap can't do it."

"Not my problem." He said. "I help people, Sans. In this disgusting place, my skills are invaluable. If I help heal your brother, I might not be able to help bring down a new born's fever. Half the Underground wishes they could do what you and your brother can, and yet you take it for granted." He tilted his head to the side, his good eye narrowing further. "Now you're probably all pissy at me, and that's fine. But if you can't get his arm to regrow in a month, then come back and talk to me."

"gerson-"

"you might got all the control in Snowdin, kid, but here?" He gestured around him, almost flinging the magnifying glass into a vase full of dried echo flowers. "You've got nothing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So things are starting to come to a head. Everyone has choices they're gonna make, and there's no clean answer to it, is there? Also, how many of you knew Gerson was the doctor? I thought it fit, in a way.
> 
> Know what doesn't fit? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	17. Gazing Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not the worst it's ever been. At least, Sans hopes that's the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> Oh lordy, the exposition is strong in this one.

You were getting Papyrus a glass of water when the door slammed open. You twisted off the knob and clambered down, the chipped glass held held close to your chest. Once you were back on the floor, you hurried into the living room, to find Sans standing in front of Papyrus. His brother was fast asleep, a soft snore whistling between his teeth. You tentatively walked forward, putting the glass on the table. "What did you do?" 

"used some magic." He slid his hands out of his pockets and turned to look back at you. For the first time since you met him, Sans wasn't wearing a smile. "i need you to get a bowl of water and some towels." 

You went back into the kitchen and did as he asked. Was the doctor finally on his way? And if Papyrus was getting healed with magic by a foreign monster, what would happen to you? Did you need to hide or something? You opened up a cabinet and took out a large metal bowl, and clambered up to the sink again. You were getting pretty efficient at it. When it was washed and filled with lukewarm water, it never got hotter than that, you shut off the water and carefully made your way down again.  

When you went back to the living room, you found Sans still in place. You set the bowl next to him on the floor, before hurrying up the stairs and getting the only full length towels from Papyrus's room. You held the orange and blue bundles to your chest, and went back to Sans. He didn't even acknowledge you as he unclasped the faded straps of his armor, and proceeded to slide it off of him, revealing chipped and scarred ribs. While you were aware that Sans and Papyrus were skeletons, this felt like a special reminder that they were nothing like you. They lacked a heart, brain, anything really.  

It was very disturbing. 

Sans tossed the armor onto the floor, and turned back to his brother, placing his fingers along the socket. A soft blue surged from his bones, and began to soak into his brother's body. "water, towels, magic....fuck." He glanced back towards you. "go get me me a bottle of liquor. don't care what it is, i just need some." 

You nodded and went back to the kitchen. You opened up the lower cabinets first, pushing aside mouse traps and electronic parts, but finding nothing useful. Next was the upper cabinets, but those were filled with almost nothing. You slid off the countertop, a sour taste entering your mouth as you glanced to the one place left. 

The fridge. 

If you were going to keep a human body without spoiling it, then a fridge was the best place. You grit your teeth and shook your head. You were being absolutely ridiculous. You practically committed cannibalism already, seeing a dead body shouldn't scare you. Besides, this wasn't about you, it was about Papyrus. He needed the liquor to either dull the pain, or clean the wound. If Sans was making you run around like a chicken with its head cut off, it was probably so he could fix his brother himself. 

You reached out and gripped the metal handle, the cold sending a shudder down your spine. With a jerk back, you opened the bane of your existence. It was white inside, with a jar of something yellow that was labeled 'mold' in large, orange letters. Outside of that, there was nothing in the refrigerator. In a morbid way, you were almost disappointed. All that build-up in your head, and there was just a jar. 

You sighed as you went back to Sans, rubbing your knuckles together. "Sans, I couldn't find any." 

"..." 

The skeleton straightened, and his lone eye took in your face. The pupil narrowed, and you felt the need to step away from him. As if he read your mind, likely your song, he turned back to his brother. He removed one of his hands from him, and thrust it into his jacket pocket. After a moment of rummaging around, he flicked something at you. A sharp pain in your forehead and a heavy thud was your only clue. You hissed and rubbed at the spot as you bent down and picked up a small black disk. It was thick as an oreo, and had a few scratches along the surface. It wasn't that heavy, but it made your hand tingle. "go to grillby's and get a bottle of creek whiskey. use that that, and tell the bartender to put it on my tab." 

"But I'm-!" 

"you're gonna be fine." He turned back to his brother, and the blue light from his hands surged, becoming a brighter shade of blue. "hurry up, once this is in him we're gonna have to get it done." 

Your fingers curled around the small rock, and you stuffed it into the pocket of the borrowed sweatpants. "Alright." 

* * *

Sans watched the human go out the door, bundled up to her eyes in his clothes, and smelling so close to him it was uncanny. As long as she kept to herself and didn't draw any unnecessary attention, she'd be just fine. He shut his sockets and focused on the magic flowing from him and into his brother. It was the stuff that gave his attacks life, it was the stuff that sat closer to his soul, his very life force. It intermingled with his soul frequency, acting as the buffer between it and his common magic. As it soaked into his brother, he had to be sure that it didn't mingle with his brother's common magic. If it did, that would start spinning an attack, and he didn't need that.  

He dug deeper through his brother's magical makeup, down to his very soul, and patched his magic into his brother's. Strengthening the damaged soul, trying to fill in cracks and fractures before he had to rip the arm off completely. The shock alone would cause his soul to go through cracking, but the actual damage would be even worse. If he could cover most of the damage, then Papyrus would be able to live another day in this hell hole. Maybe after this was all over he would go splurge, get some 'pasta'. Let his brother mess around and make some spaghetti.  

He let the happier thoughts flow into his soul. He couldn't raise up his hope, he was far too gone, but he could make this process easier on his brother. If his thoughts went far too down the snake hole, then the magic transfer was going to hurt. So instead he gathered some of his memories from way back when. The ones that weren't blocky, or had missing part, or were all round missing. They were from when he was a kid, and Papyrus was just a baby bones. Watching his brother play in the caves in Waterfall, poking mushrooms, and chasing snails. Scraping together enough cash, and giving him a nice cream.  

His magic began to sputter, and Sans's sockets opened. The blue was fading, leaving an off white dust in its wake. He grit his teeth and wrenched his hands away from his brother, shutting off the connection. He raised his hands up, and gave a dull laugh as he got a good look at them. There were pits all the way from his distal phalanges to his carpals. Most of them were shallow, no deeper than a centimeter, but others were deeper. One was so deep he could almost see clear through the bone, dust falling from it as his hands shook.  

He blinked and shoved them into his jacket pockets, his smile lifting up at the edges. He had no one to perform for, but the familiarity of the mask helped to calm down his soul. He was going to heal Papyrus up with or without Gerson's help. He had taken care of Papyrus for well over two hundred years, and even if he couldn't remember it all, this couldn't have been the worst thing they'd been through together.  

He was sure of it. 

He sat down with his spine to the couch, and let his legs spread out in front of him. He shut his sockets, and picked his mind away from his own soul frequency, go that of the human's. The piano melody was tight and fast, with almost no breaks in between. If an actual person was playing it, he was sure four pairs of hands would be needed. He had heard it like this when he was touching her in an intimate manner. Was someone touching her that way, or was the general situation making her uneasy? Or was it actual uneasiness instead of irritation? Soul Frequencies were hard to read, and the book had said that it wasn't meant to feel emotions, but the harmony between soul mates. If the song was somehow 'irregular', then he wasn't doing his job correctly.  

Basically, he had to actively protect her. 

The human was far too much work. Honestly, if he knew she would take an eternity, he wouldn't have sent her.  

Unless she ran. 

Took his ration chip and left the town. One hand slid out of his pocket, and began drumming against the floor, the muted thumps the only noise in the house. Well, she better hoped that wasn't the case. He was pretty certain she would live just fine without her legs, propped up on his bed, never able to run away and endanger his family again. 

* * *

You pulled the blue scarf up to your nose as you stood out on the porch, a feeling of dread falling over you. It was strange, being alone and free for the first time. Yes, Sans and Papyrus often left you alone for at three hours, but you always had restrictions. Now, Sans was occupied and wouldn't be able to run after you. That thing he handed you was clearly a ration chip, and you could run off with it and find Flowey. Leave behind this disgusting house, your warden, and the almost friend.  

You reached out and gripped the banister. Being able to do the right thing, while also getting out of here, was almost impossible. You understood that now. Sans had taught you that lesson, and you had learned it well. But now you needed to hold some sort of conviction, you couldn't balance between the two and stay in linbo.  

Your feet touched the snow, crunching under your weight. A few of the monsters glanced over to you, their eyes shining with curiosity. You paused at the edge of the steps, your fingers curled into the banister, and eyes gazing right back at the monsters. 

You had to act. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it. We understand some more about magic, Treat might be moving on, and Papyrus might die. A little more about soul mates was even explained! Not much vagueness today!
> 
> Know what is vague? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com
> 
> P.S.: Does anyone care that I don't write long chapters?


	18. Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally decide what you're going to do, and act on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Moderate
> 
> Well, let's just jump in, shall we?

You kept your hands in your pockets, and head down as you walked down the path. The snow was becoming slush and the air held a faint sweet smell as you got closer to a gapping cavern constructed of lavender stones. You grit your teeth, fingers popping as you made your way through the slushy snow. By going to Waterfall, you weren't being a terrible person. Sans said he would be able to get a doctor, then he should just do that then. He should have known you would run away given the chance, and what was better than when he was preoccupied with his brother.

You weren't a monster for doing this.

You weren't!

As you passed by the river, your heart rate began to pick up. Sitting on the edge of the river was a grey monster with a fish head. Its back was to you, and you could see a slender fishing pole jutting up between it and the river. You were thankful for the ice chucking machine, its grinding and the splash of ice on the water muddling your footsteps and heavy breathing. Even the output of inky steam helped keep you hidden until you passed by a cluster of scraggly pine trees. Those soon gave way to wall, as you officially entered Waterfall.

In the corridor that you had entered with Sans, there was no one. His sentry station was, for whatever reason, covered in snow and pale blue dust. You knew Flowey had the ability to go through floorboards and solid rock. He could be anywhere in the entire Underground if he really wanted to, but you had gone back to the place he'd found you at. If he had found you once, when Sans wasn't around no less, that told you two thing. Either he was following you this entire time, or he hung around this place often enough. Either way, you had what you needed, and you were going to go through with it. Papyrus could get better, it was a broken bone, and he was a skeleton, he could get better. 

You went over to the sentry station and sat on the stool, the wood creaking under your weight, your knees popping as you stretched your legs out. You were careful not to touch the magical dust, not quite sure what would have happened if you did. For all you knew it could be part of Sans's security system or something. You sighed and leaned against the back wall, the flimsy cardboard buckling under the small amount of weight you put on it. 

You shut your eyes, and blocked out the sound of groaning stones and dripping water, focusing on the song that you had taken to ignoring recently. The electronic melody had slowed down considerably and sounded...taunt. As if someone had put the song on a string, and was pulling it as far as it could possibly go. It sounded uncomfortable, and it was such a diversion from the almost silly music from before. The only other time it had changed so drastically was when you were bemoaning the loss of your husband. But that time, it was a bunch of noise, no longer a melody anymore. 

You remembered that Sans had said he could tell you were scheming because of your song, what could his song playing like this mean? Did he already realize that he had left him behind? It had only been thirty minutes since he sent you away, so it couldn't be that...Not unless he saw you leave, and was now searching for you. Your gaze went to the cavern's mouth, half expecting to see the grinning skeleton. Instead there was no one there, just the dim light reflecting off the slush puddles on the ground. 

You sighed and dragged a hand out of your pocket, and uncurled your fingers. Sitting in your palm was the stone, and somehow it felt even heavier than it did when Sans gave it to you. You wondered if it was either magic or just your conscious getting back at you. 

"Huh, you actually got it." You whipped your head up, and saw Flowey staring at you from the other side of the sentry station. "Didn't think you really would. Then again, the trash bag is always with you."

"He leaves me alone in the house."

He made a scoffing noise. "Yeah, well getting in his place is harder than the old lady's. Trust me, if I could, we would have gotten this show on the road a lot sooner." So you had been right, Flowey was stalking you. It both unsettled you, and gave you a small boost of confidence. "So, how'd you get it?"

"He gave it to me."

Flowey's petals straightened and his eye narrowed. "He gave it to you?"

"I was supposed to get something from the store," You said, as you stood up from the stool. "I was supposed to get something from a bar, but I came here instead."

"And he just gave it to you?" He shook his head. "That doesn't sound right. That trash bag wouldn't trust you that easily, even if you're forever in love and smooches or whatever." 

You knew that too. You were just taking advantage of an opportunity, Sans would do the same thing if the positions were reversed. "He had to, there wasn't a choice."

Flowey stared at you for a moment, before sinking into the ground, not leaving a trace. You waited a moment, half expecting him to pop up somewhere else, and tell you to follow. Maybe even lead you down some secret path or something. 

But no one came.

You hissed and put the ration chip back into your pocket. Did you scare him off, or did he think you were lying? Hell, maybe it had all been one giant game to him. A chance to see if he could screw you over somehow, and get a laugh out of your stupidity. You started walking back to the opening, nuzzling yourself deeper into your borrowed scarf. There was a ripple in one of the puddles, and Flowey popped out of it. You stopped, nearly tripping over him. 

"You idiot!" He hissed. "You're going to leave while his brother's that injured?"

"..."

Flowey shook his head. "If something happens to the other skeleton, then that trash bag will come after us. Trust me, you don't want him to have nothing to hold him back."

"So what, he can't kill me."

"Can't kill you? That's what you're worried about?" He laughed, a high pitched yet dry sound. "Human, he's going to tear you apart and make you wish he would kill you. With his brother alive that gives him something to do. You do not want his full attention, especially with how you're about to get it."

You grit your teeth, and relished the feeling of your left ring finger popping under your thumb. You wanted to get out of here, but you needed to get out alive. There was going to be no hope for you if Sans decided to play a round of torture. "Fine, but I still need to get out of here, Flowey."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear you loud and clear." Thin, brown roots spiders out of the ground and began to crawl up your leg. "Now give me a ride. Knowing you, I bet you'll get caught in less than a minute"

You allowed the flower to climb on, almost far too aware of your guilt oozing away into purpose and determination.

* * *

The hike back to town had been easy enough. There were no monsters out and about, and the few that were didn't seem to notice how different you were. You guessed your baggy clothes and covered face contributed to that. Flowey twisted around your stomach, tightening his roots and vines as he peeked his head from the top of your jacket. "You gotta go to the flame head's bar, right?"

"I guess?"

He made a gritting noise that almost sounded like teeth grinding together. You weren't sure how he did it, but then that would put into question how he even talked. "The bar is the brick building up ahead, and probably packed with people. You smell like the trash bag too. Idiot, he should have made sure he had some stuff instead of sending you out."

"What so I do then?"

"..."

You stopped outside the door to the specified bar. _Grillby's_ was a brick building that had a faded sign to the top of the building, and a nice window front. A bear monster leaned against the wall, with a cigarette between its teeth, and red smoke curling from the tip. It didn't even acknowledge you as you opened up the door to the bar, a small bell going off to announce your arrival. You felt Flowey dig deeper into your jacket, almost getting his petals into your mouth.

The bar smelled like burnt leaves and oil, and was far too warm to be comfortable.  A few patrons sat at the tables, tearing into burgers and a something resembling sloppy joes. At their sides were clear glasses filled with colorful drinks. None of them looked up as you made your way to the bar, your fingers gripping the ration chip a bit harder. 

"Now that flame head," Flowey whispered. "is good at sensing magic. If you don't have any on you, he's gonna be suspicious. You have to be quick, but not too quick."

You nodded, even if he couldn't see it. Taking a deep breath, you drew the ration chip out of your pocket, and set it on the bar. The bar tender turned his head towards you, his featureless face making your fingers twitch. What Flowey said really was literal, the man was made of flames. They were large and seemed to sputter and jump, as if ready to eat some tinder. In contrast, the nice vest and pants would have made him look dapper, if it was for the blood stained apron around his waist. 

How did you know it was blood?

You could smell it. Metallic, sharp, and almost spoiled. If you didn't fear for your life, you would've started to gag. The bar tender picked up the small rock, and slotted it into what looked like was an old fashioned register. A mechanical whirring came from the machine, and three numbers popped up along the side. The fire elemental turned back to you, the flames getting louder, and a harsh language leaving him. Your eyebrows furrowed, it almost sounded Russian. How did a fire elemental know Russian?

"Grillby wants to know why you've got Sans's chip." You glanced to the side, where a red bird creature with a missing eye sat. "Good question too. That bone boy'd sell his femur before giving that up."

"..."

Great! Sans hadn't told you an excuse, just to go in there and do it. Did he expect all these monsters to mistake you for him? There was no way that could have been his plan. You were too tall, and thicker looking, and clearly had no magic. You licked your lips, probably another give away at this rate, as you mulled over your options. If Sans wasn't prone to giving away his ration chip, then maybe you should just tell the truth. You were no good at lying, and as long as you didn't reveal you were human, then they might even believe you. 

But then if any of these people knew Sans well enough, they might not believe that either. You highly doubted Sans spoke about you, and he didn't seem like the type to get married. So it would still look like you stole his ration chip, and was now trying to get away with it. 

Both options were terrible, but you were better at sticking to the truth. You took a deep breath, and steadied your voice. "I'm Sans's...mate. I was just coming by to get some creek whiskey for him."

The bird stared at you for a moment, and you could have sworn you felt half the bar staring as well, some even whispering among each other. The flame elemental spoke again, and the bird shook his head. "Kid doesn't have much magic either. Only thing keeping that kid alive is spite, might be the same thing for this one."

A horse monster on the other side of the bar nodded. "But she's calling herself Sans's mate. The only thing that skeleton would give his soul to is ketchup."

"Don't even talk about the stuff." The bird complained. "I'd drink it in a heartbeat."

You stumbled back as the flames lit up higher, nearly touching the brick ceiling of the bar. The fire elemental spoke again, the tone irritated, and the rag in his hand emitting steam. The bird translated once again. "Says if you're really who you say you are, then you need to get him, because he doesn't believe you." There was some more grumbling from the flame elemental, and the bird turned to him, revealing a burn on the side of its neck. "Hey, don't get snappy at me. I don't wanna translate your long ass soliloquy."

So you were right, they didn't believe you. At least that told you that Sans was well known to the bar patrons. Well if they knew Sans well enough, maybe they could identify his scent on you? Sans made you wear them for that very reason. He was all over you last night, and now you were wearing his clothes. You probably hadn't smelled like you in awhile, even if you added in your cycle. 

You thrust out an arm toward the fire elemental, keeping your very human looking fingers curled into your palms. "I smell like him. That should be proof, right?"

You heard a chair scrape against the floor, and faltering footsteps. A dog wearing a black robe and two axes strapped to its back sat to your right, a scarred nose twitching. "You smell like him...And the other skeleton. You smell like something else too, like rain and flowers. Waterfall?"

"Maybe they don't live together then." The horse monster said. "Makes plenty of sense. You want your brother to hear you harmonizing with your mate?"

There was a quiet murmur through out the bar, and even the bird shook its head. The flames began to die down back to wildfire levels instead of utter hell, and he jabbed a button on the machine. The numbers went down twice, and the elemental took down a blue bottle that had something that moved like thick slime off the bottom shelf. He shoved it towards you, and you barely managed to catch it before it fell over and onto the floor. "Thank you. Um, he also said to put it on his tab."

The bird snorted, and you swore the elemental was rolling eyes it didn't even have. "Of course he did. Smug little bastard."

You weren't sure how to respond to that, but saw it as a good a time as any to leave. As you walked away, you felt a pull on your jacket sleeve. You turned around, and flinched when you saw it was the sniffing dog. You could feel Flowey tighten against you. "Next time you see Sans, could you tell him I'm hoping for Papyrus?"

"S-sure."

The dog nodded and let you go. You didn't give anyone else a chance to speak to you, before you were hurrying out of the bar, slamming the door behind you.

* * *

"Flowey, I can't keep doing this." You stood outside the skeleton household now. Flowery had crawled out of your coat, and was a good distance away from the house. You wondered if Sans had some type of magic around it. "You've got to lead me to the barrier."

"Look, I wanna help you, I really do, but you can't just barrel into it." He sighed and shook out his petals. "If you got the ration chip once, then you can get it again. You even proved to other monsters that you were Sans's mate, and not human. Granted, you were messing with dog brain's messed up sniffer, but it's still progress. That barrier hasn't moved in over nine hundred years, it's not gonna move now."

"But-"

"No buts." Flowey said "Now try to get out alone again, and I'll start getting you familiar with the path. Because when we run, we're not going to afford time for getting lost. Either Sans'll be after us, or he'll sound the alarm that a human's loose."

You shuddered at the thought of either of those happening. Maybe Flowey was right, you really did just need to slow down. You could get out of here, you had gone all the way to Waterfall by yourself, you could get further. "And how do I contact you?"

"Don't worry," He sank into the ice and snow. "I'm always watching."

* * *

Sans opened his sockets, and paused his drumming, surprise filling him when he saw the human come in. She was covered in snow, shivering, and held a bottle of the whiskey. She went over to him, and plopped the bottle in his hands. "Mission accomplished."

He pushed himself off the floor, and opened the bottle. A putrid smell filled the room, but he ignored it as he turned to his brother, and dumped a shot of the off brown liquid into his mouth. It would numb the pain a bit, and help heal up the wound a little bit. Not nearly as powerful as food,  it it would have to do for now. He handed the bottle back to the human, and pressed his hands back onto his arm and shoulder. He gripped just below the humeral head and acromion, and grit his teeth. It was now or never, that dose of magic he gave his brother was already getting used to solve the damage done via starvation. He wished the human came back when he finished thirty minutes ago, maybe he wouldn't have had the time to mull over all the worst case scenarios. 

He glanced back to the human. Her hood was down now, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared. Heh, she probably had no idea what was going to happen. "soon as I finish, give him a swig."

He turned his gaze back to his brother.

Steadied his hands.

_**Snap!** _

_**Crunch!**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, she was really going to leave Papyrus to whatever fate Sans could scrape for him. It worked out inter end though, so that's nice...Or did it? And we'll be seeing more Flowey! That is, if Treat can get away from Sans outside the house. There's also Grillby, who isn't very convinced, and the whole problem with Ginny. So we're nowhere near finished, things are only gonna get worse.
> 
> Know what isn't bad? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	19. Between Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sans deal with Papyrus then yourselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Moderate
> 
> Oh my gosh, ya'll's reactions to the last chapter was hilarious! Don't worry, things will only get worse from here.

Sans stepped back from his brother, covered in dust, sweat, and marrow. His brother's sockets were still shut, but the grimace was gone and replaced with a smile. Sans plucked the old blanket off the floor, and covered his brother, doing his best not to look at his right side. He turned back to the human, she was holding the now empty bottle, her face tear stained and shoulders trembling. When he had initially broke off Papyrus's arm, she'd screamed. The sound had been louder than Papyrus's by far, but a wild attempt at soothing her soul and keeping calm had got her to functioning again. 

She's been helpful. She got the bandages, and kept the water clean while Sans patched up his brother. Even helped hold him down when his own magic was finally burned out, and had to use his brother's. In reality, he probably couldn't have done any of this without her. He sighed and guided the girl out of his brother's room, shutting the door behind him. After the last two hours of screaming and rattling bones, it felt almost empty without any noise. Even the mice had stopped burrowing through the walls.  

Sans sat down on his bed, leaning his skull against the cool wall. He enjoyed the feeling of just being nothing, before he pulled off his jacket, and then his shirt. The human raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem overly curious. He shoved a hand into his jacket pocket, and took out a damp box and a dented lighter. He snapped it open, and flicked the wheel, a plume of fire igniting from it. He looked from it to the girl for a moment, before opening his mouth and putting the cigarette between his teeth. He snorted when he saw the human's eyes widen. Clearly this was the first time she caught him with his mouth open. He lit the cig, and shoved the lighter back into his pocket. "temmie got your tongue?"

"S-sorry." She looked away, twiddling with her fingers. "I just didn't know you could open your mouth."

Did she really not notice when he did? He had to open his mouth just a bit in order to let his voice not sound muffled. Hell, he ate around her all the time, he wasn't exactly hiding it from her. "you're a real idiot."

"..."

Smoke escaped from his ribs, and into the air. The human blinked, but otherwise didn't make a big show of coughing and gagging like some monsters he knew. She must be used to smoking, or had done it herself at one point. Well, at least he found one thing she didn't complain about. "hey uh," She glanced back to him. "thanks. for earlier. didn't expect ya to come back."

"..."

He 'inhaled' again, and smoke flooded his ribs. "tibia honest, thought you'd be long gone by now. or dead. either one, really."

"Papyrus needed help-"

"spare me your bullshit." She clammed up and backed away from him, almost falling off the bed. "i saw you out the window. you passed by twice, treat. you tried to head to waterfall."

"I-"

"thanks...for showing mercy." 

Sans 'exhaled' again, and pressed his burnt up fag against his ribs, before flicking it onto the floor. The human watched it for a moment, before turning back to him. "What now?"

"Hmm?"

"I tried to run away." Her words were careful, measured. "Aren't you going to kill me? I'm too much trouble. As long as you don't damage my soul..."

"and live in pain the rest of my life? heh, no thanks." He shut his sockets. "if you really wanted to leave pap for dust, you'd have left. but you came back. showed a little mercy. that's more than enough for me."

* * *

You didn't think Sans slept over the course of the next three days. He spent all of his time with Papyrus, only stopping to go to Grillby's to get more alcohol. When he left was the only time you were allowed in Papyrus's room, but you were forbidden to touch him. You weren't sure why, but you were almost sure Sans was expecting something to happen if you did. You weren't quite sure what, though. You weren't strong enough to snap solid bone, it was likely to break your hand, and Sans hadn't left his axe lying around lately. 

You sighed and went up the stairs, your head feeling dizzy. It had been two days since the last you ate, and you were starting to feel it. Normally you ate every other day, but it was bordering on three days. Maybe Sans was punishing you for trying to leave? That wouldn't surprise you too much, even with all his talk of mercy, you were sure he hated you for almost leaving his brother to die. It would probably be worse if he knew that Flowey wasn't the one who convinced you to come back, not your drive for mercy. 

You bent one of your fingers,a dull snap sounding from it. You heard Sans stir inside Papyrus's room, he probably heard that. You braced yourself for a scolding, but all that greeted you was silence. Maybe he was in a better mood, or Papyrus was improving? You went up to the door, and knocked it with your hip, causing it to soundlessly open. Sans was sitting on the floor next to the race car bed, drumming his fingers against the carpet, and Papyrus was still fast asleep. A bottle of liquor sat between Sans's legs, and that caused you to pause. You knew he had been giving it to Papyrus to help deal with the pain, but you didn't think you could deal with a drunk Sans, not right now, anyway. 

You began to back away from the door, but stopped when you saw a bright red pupil staring at you. Sans's smile was still in place, and he seemed at ease. "what do you need, treat?"

"I'm pretty hungry."

"aren't we all?" He sighed and slid a hand into jacket pocket, taking out one of those burgers. Now that you were 'enlightned', you realized they probably came from Grillby's. He opened up the packaging, and split it in half, extending one piece to you. "only half today. you can have the other in two days." 

You went over to him, and took the burger, before taking a step back and biting into the burger. It tasted sweeter today, almost like someone had dumped some orange glaze on the burger. The bread was also a dull black this time, but you were so hungry you ignored the fact that it could be mold. 

While you ate, you noticed Sans was watching you, his gaze fixed to your mouth. You paused, and stared at him, eyebrows furrowed. When was the last time he ate something? You knew he was all consumed with his brother, did he forget to eat too? You took off a piece from the unbitten end of the burger, and held it out to him. He blinked, as if woken up, and glanced up to you. "You're hungry, right?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "ya, eat it treat. i had something already."

You shrugged and popped it into your mouth. Seeing as how he wasn't going to kick you out right away, or was drunk, he sank to the floor in front of him. Sans blinked, but didn't complain, you wondered if he wanted the company. You glanced up to Papyrus, and guilt began eating at you again. Would he already be awake if you hadn't taken that detour to Waterfall? Maybe he wouldn't have to guzzle so much liquor either. You were so stupid. You should have just stayed put. Sans wasn't really that bad, he kept you fed and safe, and Papyrus didn't deserve to be in the crossfire. When would you learn that you couldn't be so prideful?

You flinched when you felt cold, hard bone against your cheek. Sans drew them back, and glanced down. "you're crying?"

You scrubbed at your face with your free hand. "No, my eyes are just watering. It happens sometimes."

"uh huh." He wiped his hands off against his pants. "what're you guilty about?"

"I'm not-"

"i can read it on your face." He said. "you worried about pap? well, it's not your fault. undick is pretty much insane. stuff like this happens all the time." He glanced back to his brother. "paps got big dreams, he's not gonna let a broken arm slow him down."

"If I had went straight to the bar, you wouldn't have snapped it off, right? That's what's my fault." You grit your teeth. "I wanted to leave so bad, I pushed aside someone else's pain like it didn't matter! And I did it so easily..." Sans had turned back to you, watching you. "That's why I didn't want to compromise my morals, because once you start it's so easy to keep slipping down from there."

You gasped when Sans crawled over to you, and raised a hand. You tired to back away, but he grabbed your wrist with one hand, and pressed down on your leg with one of his. It surprised you to find out he was so heavy, and it only dragged your heart beat up. Your breath hitched when he pressed a hand to your chest, the bone's cold seeping through your shirt, before slowly pulling away. A bright orange glowed from him palm, and it took you a moment to realize it was your soul. It had a few cracks here and there, and a strange circular mark that had a single dot in the middle. It was strange seeing it whole, instead of broken up and nearly shattered. 

"What are you doing!" Your voice went an octave higher as he brought it closer to his own chest, his own soul slipping out of his chest cavity, the middle gaping huge, resembling a rotting corpse. "Stop!"

You shrieked as his soul consumed yours, a mass of emotions bouncing against your skull and silencing your cries. An onslaught of apathy that tasted so sour it made your stomach squirm filled your first, but soon your felt something else, something deeper and darker. However it was soon cut off, and all you felt was your own crippling anxiety. Sans didn't seem the slightest bit perturbed as he sat there, watching his soul devour yours. 

But that's when you saw it.

In the puddle of orange 'blood' you saw words and numbers. LV, EXP, and zeros next to the LV and a one next to EXP. "your guilt's eating you, not LV."

His soul opened up, and yours fluttered out, perfectly fine, if only dimmer than before. You reached out and grabbed your soul, dragging it back to your chest. "Never do that again."

"you wanted to know why you felt that way." He said, letting his own soul float back to him. "i showed you. your level of violence is non existent, and you only got one execution point. that's my fault."

"I don't care about any of that," You snapped, pressing your soul to your chest, trying to force it back inside. "you just yanked out my soul. You didn't ask or anything. You could have really hurt me or..." He pressed a hand against yours, and your soul phased back into your chest. You took in a deep breath, feeling less anxious, more claustrophobic with the skeleton on top of you. "Never again, promise me."

"can't promise you that." He said. "you're my responsibility, that includes your soul."

"How can you protect me, when you're the thing that scares me most?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was that. We're on the angst train, and before things can get better, they have to be angsty. As says the laws of fan fiction, or something. Outside of that, this overall chapter feels mediocre compared to the last one. Maybe because a lot of stuff happened, and it wasn't introspective?
> 
> Know what is introspective? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	20. Between You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy is learned, but not found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> Ya'll are still upset about the Papyrus thing, huh?

Sans avoided you the next day. He kept Papyrus's door locked, and you didn't see him come or go. You spent most of the day downstairs, watching cheesy romance films to fill the silence. When you had told Sans, that he was what scared you most, he had merely stared at you. Watching your face, trying to see if you were lying or not. When he found what he was looking for, he had gotten off of you, letting you flee the room. After that, he had stopped interacting with you entirely. You were glad you ate then, going a three day streak without food would have been torture. You stared down at your belly, and poked some of the fat. Well, maybe a day or two wouldn't be that bad...  

You shook your head. You didn't have time to think of that childishness, you had no one to impress down here. You brought your knees up to your chest, and let out a low sigh. You knew Sans was going through a lot right now with his brother injured, and that if you were there for him he might consider giving you more freedom, but the words had to be said. It was clear that Sans thought he was the exception to the rule. That you wouldn't be terrified of him just because he fed you, and only 'mildly' threatened you.  

The fact that he was keeping you prisoner, touching you, getting drunk, and messed with your soul all didn't matter to him. And deep down in your heart, it made you mad. You couldn't even feel the anger over your hunger and cold, but it was there. Popping and sparking in your head as you mulled over the events that had transpired over over the last month. How on earth did Sans think that you would be comfortable around him after all of that? What gave him the right?   

You were sure it stemmed to the fact that you were both soul mates. He knew that you had no real way to fight him, and if you did it could hurt you in the process. He knew so much more than you about this whole thing, and he was flaunting it to your face. If you could learn about soul mates, maybe you wouldn't be so shocked by his behavior. Monsters too. This was a battle of information, and you were loosing. 

A yelp and a crash dragged you out of your thoughts. You glanced up, staring at the ceiling, more thumps coming from over head. What on earth was going on? You crawled off the sofa, and went up the steps. You could hear quiet talking now, and raspy curses coming from inside Papyrus's room. You tapped on the door, but didn't get an answer. Whelp, that was the end of that. You twisted around, but there was another thud and a crash. You paused, and glanced back to the door, fiddling with your fingers. What if Sans was drunk, and not paying attention, or what if Papyrus had fallen out the bed while Sans was gone. You hadn't seen him leave, but you hadn't been looking for him either.

You reached out and twisted the door knob, just to find it locked. Your cursed under your breath, and went back downstairs. A quick look around, and you found a knife under the sink inside a basket. You grabbed it and went back upstairs. You knelt down and started at the lock for a moment, before inserting just the tip of the knife. With a few shallow twists you heard the door unlock. You opened it up, and peeked inside, just for your eyes to widen. Sans was laying on the floor, and a series of bones jutted out of the floor. All of them blood stained, and a few glowing a bright teal. 

You gasped when one sliced clear through the bed, almost stabbing Papyrus. You bit your lip, eyes darting from one skeleton to the other. You had no idea what was happening, but it terrified you. Was Papyrus doing it, or Sans? You stumbled back when a bone sprouted in front of you, centimeters away from your feet. You needed to wake them up, but how? PapYrus was in a coma, and there was no way you were going to get to Sans with all the bones sprouting at random. 

"Sans."

"..."

"Sans!"

You scowled and went to his bedroom, grabbing the first thing that looked like it would survive a throwing, before marching back to Papyrus's room. With a grunt, you tossed the porn magazine and it landed on Sans's face. However the skeleton didn't bother to move, and the bones continued to grow and disappear. If yelling and touching didn't work, what would? You could try cold water, but did he even have the ability to feel the cold? You'd never seen him shiver anytime you were outside. Another blue bone shot out of the ground, this time phasing through Papyrus's desk and computer. How did that even...

Your eyebrows furrowed as you watched the blue bones. They always phased easily through things, did that mean those were harmless? You watched as another phased through the bed, and Papyrus. When he didn't start screaming, or crumble into dust, your eyes widened. Slowly you held out your left hand, and gripped the knife with the right. You placed the cold blade against your palm, your heart bearing against your ribs, and your mouth going dry. Then slowly, ever so slowly, you sliced against the skin. You hissed as blood welled to the surface, and your palm began to sting. You hoped that thing was clean, you hadn't thought to wash it. 

Your gaze flicked up from your wound, to the blinking skeleton. His single red pupil stared at you, and his fingers dug into the carpet. All around you bones shattered and became dust, the blue ones disappeared in a flash of teal light. You let out a sigh of relief, so it was Sans that was doing it. You were glad, you'd have no idea what to do if it had been Papyrus instead. "H-Hey."

Sans clambered to his feet, and quickly covered the few spaces it took from his spot to yours. He grabbed your wounded hand, his grip causing your wound to sting even more. "why in the hell did you do that?"

"You wouldn't wake up." You gestured to the bed with the knife. "I thought the bones would hurt Papyrus."

He followed the knife point, before turning back to you. "so you cut yourself? are you trying to drive me crazy?"

"No, it was just the only thing that worked." You tried to yank your hand away, to no avail. "It's not like I want you to pounce me or something."

"sound like a fucking tsundereplane."

"What?"

The skeleton closed his sockets, and his grip on you relaxed, but not enough for you to take your hand back. After a moment, he opened his sockets again, and dropped your hand. You took the opportunity to take a step away from him, entering the hallway. When he didn't argue with the movement, you hurried out the hallway, flinching when he slammed the door behind you. 

* * *

Sans dragged a hand over his skull, staring at the book in his lap. There was plenty of half decent advice in there, but nothing on dream interpretation. Honestly, it almost surprised him. The older generation had a fondness for dreams and their meanings. It was said that dreams were the whispers of the soul that you could see and hear. While Sans highly doubted it, he wasn't going to dismiss it all together.

Sans was used to nightmares. Far too used to them, anyway. Sometimes they were about the times before Papyrus was born, others were about him killing Papyrus, and there were a few that were nothing but fractured messes that he could barely remember the next morning. However he had never dreamt of murdering the human. He had seen her impaled on bones, blood running through the snow, snowflakes entangling in her hair. And even though she was dead, he didn't stop impaling her, mangling the body further. When it was finally a blood pulp he had released his bones, and just...left her. 

So when he woke up to find her bleeding like that, he had been ready to hurt her. She was always pushing him, trying him a little bit more. From cracking her knuckles, to running away, to admitting that she was scared of him. She had no idea what that little admission did, now did she? His instincts had nearly over whelmed him, ready to prove to her that he was a good mate, perfect for protecting and providing for her. That she hadn't been wrong to put her trust in him...

Except she didn't. 

The human didn't get to choose him as a mate, just like he didn't get to choose her. They simply had the most capability, and their soul's exchanged frequencies, while his marked hers. While she didn't trust him to protect her, he didn't trust her not to do something that would kill him or Papyrus. Well, at least he knew she was merciful, that was the only light in this dreary tunnel. If she had wanted, she could have left Papyrus here to die, and she didn't have to wake him up to prevent him from accidentally dusting his brother. 

He slammed the book shut, and leaned against the bed. This would have been so much easier if Papyrus had formed the bond. She would probably be far more compliant with his brother, and might have even accepted it over time. And Papyrus? Well, he could imagine his brother would have been been over the core with happiness. Papyrus had always craved attention and affection, what better place to get that than a mate? He'd have been a half decent big brother to the human, at least for Papyrus's sake. He might have even learned to like the human if given time. 

But then nothing could just be simple. Could it? 

* * *

Sans slinked downstairs, hands in his pockets and magic buzzing for food. Over the course of this week, he hadn't eaten much. He had been stuffing his brother with as much as the stuff as he could, and it was probably the only thing keeping him alive at this point. It was giving his rations quite the beating, and he still had to feed the human. He had left her the other half of the burger on the table last night, and as he stared out at the living room, he found it gone. 

Good.

At least he didn't completely fuck something up. He sighed and made his way to the kitchen, but stopped. Perching on the sink edge was the human, her clothes off and skin shuddering as she splashed water on herself. Even from the other side of the room, he could smell the dish soap working to cover her natural scent. So she was trying to take a bath, or at least wash up. He didn't see the real need, she didn't do anything in a day, and smelled fine. Then again, most fleshy and furry monsters liked bathing. 

He went to a cabinet and opened it, but stopped when he heard a full crack. His grip tightened on the door handle as he scanned the shelves for some more gauze. Another crack, this one louder, filled the room. He slammed the cabinet shut, and stared up at the gaping human. She was hunched over now, a blood stained towel covering her chest. "What are you doing?"

"why're popping your bones like that?" She opened her mouth, but then slowly closed it as her eyes narrowed. She was offended, and thought he was trying to look at her on purpose. Hell, he didn't even have to listen to her soul frequency to gather that much. Her expression was too transparent. "you're really making this hard for me, treat." 

"Then let me go." She spat. "You don't need or want me. You saying we were going to start over was a lie. You do the same old thing, and expect me to just put up with it!" Her volume began to rise. "Do you really think I'll always sit pretty, and just let you do whatever you want to me? That being in a 'fresh start aquaintenceship' would make me forget all the shit you've done to me."

"do humans not have the same definition of fresh start?" He sighed and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "so you like to keep a grudge. i get it, don't understand, but get it." He shut his eyes. "you think everything i'm doing is to just fuck with you, break you down, make you miserable." He opened a socket, staring at hardened eyes. "heh, i get why you'd think that. it's usually the plot for kidnappings and whatever. but uh, here's the thing. it doesn't benefit me to break you." He let out a dry laugh that only caused the human to frown. "if i broke you, then your soul would become weak. it would affect us both. if you're afraid of me, think i'm the demon hiding under your bed? well, that's your problem, cause it's not me. it's you."

"That's not-"

"think whatever you want." He said with a shrug. "i'm not the thought police. but if you can't learn to apply mercy equally...?" His smile widened at the edges, and his sockets opened properly. "then i guess you're in for a bad time."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Sans, why do you make it sound like a break up static. It's not me, it's you. XD Okay, outside of that, the pressure between the two is building. Sans is starting to get pissed at Treat, and Treat is starting to feel her sins crawling down her back. Everything is just fucked for now.
> 
> Know what isn't fucked? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	21. Purgatory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The town was clearly warning you about something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> Good grief, this angst train.

You were surprised to see Sans leave the bedroom that afternoon, his hands in his pockets, and face in his typical grin. However the tempo in his song had become faster,and there was a certain edge to it that made you uncomfortable. It had been two weeks since Papyrus had gone into his coma, and you were almost sure that Sans was going crazy. You had found him muttering to himself on more than one occasion, and saw him repeat actions. Maybe if you had elected to stay with him for awhile, he wouldn't be so far gone but...Well, this was the most 'mercy' you were willing to give. Leaving him alone felt like a fair trade. 

He collapsed on the couch next to you, making the old piece of furniture groan. His gaze drifted to the movie you were watching, but there was no change to his demeanor, it was as if he wasn't even paying attention. Upon closer inspection you noticed dark rings smudged under his sockets, and the pupil was a lighter shade of red. Those must be the skeleton signs of exhaustion. You weren't quite sure how that could be, since you knew Sans fell asleep at night, curled up next to his brother on the bed.  

"i need a favor, treat " he turned to look at you. "need you to go to the general store and get some gauze. i'd do it, but violet banned me and all." 

"You trust me?" 

"i know you're not gonna leave paps to dust." You opened your mouth, but closed it again as you mulled over his words. He still had no idea that Flowey was the reason you came back. Well, that was fine, you supposed. Flowey was just going to guide you around, anyway. You flinched when Sans extended a hand towards you, but calmed down when you saw there was a bunch of gold coins. "this should cover it." 

You took the money and shoved it into your jacket pocket. "Just gauze?" 

"yup." He watched you clamber off the couch. "i heard that you admitted to being my mate at the bar." You scowled, already seeing where this was going. "in the case you decide to 'wander off', i'd avoid bragging about it outside snowdin."  

You paused, eyebrows furrowed as you stared at him for moment. His smile was the same as ever, no hint that he knew anything. "And what if I run into a problem?" 

"better run the opposite direction." He grabbed the remote off the table, and flipped to the actual tv. "you better get going, curfew's in ten minutes." 

* * *

You nuzzled your nose into the narrowed scarf as you hopped down the steps. Once you were a good ways away from the house, you called out for Flowey. Almost immediately he popped out of a snow poff, flicking snow off his petals. "Has it ever occurred to you, that sneaking out of the house could be easy of you practiced?" 

"I'm already on thin ice," You said. "If I fail at sneaking, I might never leave again. So what's this I heard about a curfew?" 

"Oh, that?" Flowey began to 'pop' his way to Waterfall. "The curfew isn't really a curfew, just a time that you can go from one domain to another. It's to help to cut down on stealing, cannibalism, and disorder, as decreed by Empress Undyne...Or something." He glanced back to you. "So today's gonna be a speed run."  

You picked up the pace without having to be told. Typically it took you ten minutes to get to Waterfall, if you could cut down the time, and perhaps pick up your stamina, you'd be happy with the short trip. Snow crunched under your boots, and your breathing became labored. It took everything you had not to choke and gag on the thick smoke that came from the ice tossing machine, and the cold air afterwards wasn't making your breathing any easier. As you both neared the gaping chasm that led I to Waterfall, you slowed down. Standing at the entrance was two burly monsters in heavy, blood stained armor. Both held crosssbows in their gloved hands, and had swords strapped to their sides.  

Flowey disappeared under the snow and ice, and you tried to turn around, but stopped when a bolt lodged inches from your foot. You paused in your actions, heart racing. "No one's allowed into Waterfall after curfew!" 

Damn, you hadn't made it. 

"Sorry, I was just-" 

"Ain't that Sans's mate?" The right one asked, the rabbit ears sticking outside the armor twitched. "Sure sounds like it." 

The other one sighed and shook its head. "I keep telling you, Seg, you can't play favorites." 

"I'm not!" The monster complained. "Would you want to be stuck in territory that wasn't your home?" His voice lowered. "Besides, no one wants to be on Sans's wrong side, the guy's insane."  

"Yeah, well maybe finally settling down will get _him_ to settle down." You took a step back, just for another bolt to stab at your feet. "Oh no you don't! You were trying to leave, that's a direct violation!" 

"And what're you gonna do?" The rabbit monster said. "Lecture them to death?" 

"I can give them a fine!" 

"We're not allowed to do that." 

The monster growled, and jabbed a finger at you. "Fine, you're staying in Snowdin, but if you try to pull a stunt like this again?" He sliced a jagged claw against his neck. "I'll dust you without a second thought." He shot another bolt at you, this time ripping through your sweats. "Now get outta here." 

You turned on your heel and walked away, your heart finally calming down. When you were closer to the house, Flowey popped up again. "Well, looks like you met the idiot squad." 

"I didn't make it in time." 

"Off by a minute." Flowey said, before burrowing underground and popping up three feet ahead of you. "Oh well, you'll do better next time." 

"You're strangely calm about all of this." You said. "You have no sense of urgency or anything." 

"Doesn't really matter if I rush you or not." He paused, and turned towards you. "If you make one wrong move, then you're dead. Like if you had pushed helmet for brains back there," He gestured back towards the gaurds. "He would have killed you. Or if you hadn't thought of a way to lie to flame head, you would have died in a bar fight." 

"How-" 

"Eh, the population in this dump is pretty predictable." He seeped back into the ground d, his voice faint. "Let's get moving!" 

* * *

 

You ended up making it to the general store just as the rabbit woman was locking the windows to her store. She gave you a once over, before returning to her task. Flowey had elected to stay outside, and as you looked around, you knew why. The place had quite the eclectic collection of merchandise. Eyeballs in a jar, blue ribbon, wax pressed flowers, a bone saw, and a few bear traps of various sizes. It reminded you of when your mother used to go to those sketchy bars downtown, and would drag you along. She'd always tell you to keep your hands in your pockets, and that's what you did now.  

You had walked past a small section of books, when you felt a heavy hand on your shoulder. You swallowed hard, and turned around to face the rabbit monster. There were dark bags under her eyes, and she looked a bit thin, but other than that she looked fine. "Got something specific in mind?" 

"Uh, yeah. Do you have some gauze." 

She glanced around the store, before letting go of you, and picked up a small spool of off white gauze next to a rusty knife. She handed it to you, eyebrows still furrowed. "Here, it's only seventy-five gold."  

You fished a handful of coins out, praying it was the right amount, and deposited it in her hand. She sighed and plucked only three of the coins out, and handed you the rest. "Thanks." 

"You're not from here." She said. "Everyone says you're Sans's mate."

"..."

"Now I don't wanna be rude, but last time a stranger came through..." She shook her head, making the summer hat jingle. "I don't want any trouble around here. So don't go around causing any, either by yourself, or with your mate."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

She reached out and grabbed you by the back of the neck, and dragged you closer. You scarf began to droop down, and you had to bite into the spoiled tasting fabric to keep it in place. "I mean it. I refuse to loose anyone else due to boredom, and outrageous notions. Understand me?"

You nodded, and this seemed to pacify the woman as she let you go, and went to her old fashioned cash register sitting precariously on a stack of books. "Good. Have a nice evening." 

You left the store, putting the gauze in the pocket without the money, not want thing to dirty it further. Flowey popped up from under a pile of snow, and flicked the snow off his petals. You wondered if having to constantly repeat the action was exhausting. "Got what you needed?"

"Yeah, the shop owner is pretty intense though."

"Well, she lost a kid to one of the humans that got through the traps." Flowey said. "And Sans recently did one in for cannibalism."

"Oh." You began walking in the direction of the house when a monster walked up to the general store. "I guess it makes sense why he's band from her store."

"Yup. Mother's love and all that."

The rest of your trek was made in silence. One thing you noticed about the town, was that while everyone was very off kilter, they weren't half bad. You wondered if it was because they thought you were a monster, or if Sans had anything to do with it. The rabbit guard had mentioned that it wasn't a good idea to get on Sans's bad side. The other guard had said that you could potentially get him to 'settle down'. Did that mean Sans was potentially worse than he appeared? That you were only scratching the surface of what he was capable of? 

The thought made you shudder. Sans had a way of wearing a mask, you could never tell what he was thinking. Those type of people were always the most dangerous. But all of his actions towards you had been rather deliberate so far, at least, they felt that way. He had harmed both of your souls to prove a point, and had no problem killing people in front of you. He was potentially starving you not because he didn't have human free products on hand, but because it made you weaker. He even touched you when he knew you didn't want it. Honestly, you couldn't think it could get much worse. 

* * *

 After saying goodbye to Flowey, you slipped into the house. The sudden onslaught of warmth made you shudder, and the snowflakes in your hair and on your jacket began to melt. A quick look around told you Sans was no longer in the room, though the TV was still on, the credits of some movie rolling. You slid out of your sneakers, and went up the stairs. When you made it to the hallway, you frowned when you heard Sans muttering to himself again. This time it didn't sou d like English though, instead it was a series of sounds that didn't sound like a language at all. It was more like the backwash of an old fax machine and a tape player rewinding. 

You knocked on the door, and the words stopped. You heard cloth shuffling, before the door swung open. You handed him the gauze, and he took it without a word. You followed him into the room, and when he didn't object, you closed the door and sat on the floor, leaning you weight against it. Sans quirked a brow bone, you still weren't sure how he did it, but was quiet otherwise. He went back to his brother, and pulled back the blankets. "What was that language you were speaking?"

"not really a language."

"What were those sounds then?"

"dunno." You rolled your eyes. Of course he would say something like that. Sans paused in his work, and glanced back to you."look, treat, i ain't being rude, but don't you have anything better to do?"

"No, I don't." You said. "Outside of playing errand girl for you, I have nothing to do with myself." The words sounded hollow, even to you. 

"heh, guess that's true."

"..."

You had nothing to do, and at the moment, no where to go. Your guide had no sense of urgency, and your only friend was in a coma. If there was any light in this hell hole, it had been snatched from you. If you were religious, you would have been sure all of this was karma, or some sick purgatory. But then what would the punishment be for? Maybe it was your prideful or over all unforgiving attitude, that had landed you in a good amount of trouble over the years. 

You were ripped from your thoughts when you heard a dull thud. Sans was on the floor on his knees, his head against the blankets, the spool of gauze sitting beside him. Papyrus had his bandages off, and it was the first time you saw him without blankets covering him since Sans had initially broke off his arm. His ribs were chipped and scratched in some places, though his shoulders were fine. The place where his missing arm was had a jagged crack, and was pulsing with teal magic. 

That was what you were in purgatory for. You had prolonged Papyrus's suffering, despite knowing he was badly injured. You may not have known a doctor was coming at the time, but you had taken advantage of the situation. You'd used Papyrus like a pawn, just like the person that hurt him. You bit your lip, and curled your fingers into fists. You couldn't let your morals slide, not anymore. If you got out of here, it was because you did it through cunning and stealth. Not because you inadvertently killed someone to do it. They may be murderers, but that didn't mean you had to be one too. 

You stood up, and went over to the two skeletons. Sans didn't even look up as you plucked up the gauze, and began to wrap up the wound. Winding the soft gauze around the hard bones, being careful not to let the sharp edges rip it. You may be in purgatory, but the least you could do was make up for your sin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Treat had some reality smacked into her. Kinda. Well, at least she's now sorry for what she did. And yes, the rabbit monster Sans killed in his first appearance was the shop keeper's kid. And Flowey really does have no sense of urgency, huh? 
> 
> Know what does have a sense of urgency? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	22. Same Old Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The arguments are getting worse, if you do say so yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> Ta-da! A new chapter. Shorter this time, but it's here.

You woke up to the sound of loud music. You sat up in bed, the blankets slipping and bunching  around your waist, gaze glued to the door. Sans's song was louder than usual, and had slowed down the tempo. You twisted your fingers, giving two of them a solid crack. Should you go check up on him, or leave him to his own devices? Yesterday he'd passed out before putting Papyrus's gauze on, and had stayed like that all evening. What I'd he was summoning bones again and hurt his brother?  

The thought helped you pull yourself out of bed, and stumble out the door. You went down the hall, and opened up the door. Sans was kneeling against the bed, and Papyrus was sitting up. He glanced from his brother to you, his grin lifting up at the edges. "SISTER, YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE. SANS'S TERRIBLE SLEEPING HABITS MUST BE RUBBING OFF ON YOU."

Your eyes stung as you stared, your fingers curling around the doorknob. He woke up, Papyrus had really woken up. He didn't seem to be in any pain either, just tired. Interesting,considering he spent two weeks in a coma. "When did you wake up?"

"TEN MINUTES AGO." He said, and gave his brother a pat on his head. "SANS'S SNORING WOKE ME UP. IT'S A WONDER HE DIDN'T WAKE THE ENTIRETY OF SNOWDIN WITH HIS UPROARIOUS NOISE."

"heh, sorry bro."

"I FORGIVE YOU THIS TIME, BROTHER."

Sans pushed himself up, and shuffled to the door. "i'm gonna make us some grub." 

"OH, THAT WOULD BE NICE!" He gestured to his missing arm. "THOUGH I AM GREAT, IT WOULD BE FASTER AND MORE EFFECTIVE FOR YOU TO COOK. IF YOU CAN CALL THAT MUSH YOU MAKE A MEAL." 

 Sans left the room, an arm slipping around your torso, and dragging you to the side as he shut the door. Your skin crawled under his touch, but he didn't say anything as he pulled you down the stairs with him. Though Sans was shorter than you, this was a stark reminder that was stronger than you in more ways than one. Once you both were in the kitchen, he let go of you, and turned on the stove, making an eye bloom with red flames. 

"now that paps is up, i don't want us fighting anymore."

"..."

He opened up a cabinet, and pushed aside a few jars before taking down a stainless steel pot. He put it on the eye, before going to the fridge and opening it. "i'm serious. my bro thinks of you as a sister. likes you even. i don't wanna-"

"You want to upkeep a lie?" 

"yup."

 You shook your head. "Well I'm not doing it. I like Papyrus, honest, but I don't think it's a good idea to lie to him. I don't like you at all, and you..." You gestured to him. "You would kill me if it wouldn't do you in too. It's not healthy in the slightest, and it's a lie. You know I'm not good at lying anyway."

Sans took out a bottle full of yellow sludge, and closed the fridge with his toes. "and what's the difference between pretending not to wander off, and not going at it every ten seconds?"

"..."

He was right, there really was no difference, was there? In one scenario it had benefited you, perhaps even tried to save you. With this one, it was just doing something you didn't like. You set your jaw and shook your head. Sans wasn't about to guilt you into this, not this time. You were already trying to make it up to Papyrus, but playing into a delusion was not how you were going to do it. "Sans, if we argue, it's your fault. You get in my personal space, touch me, and are an all 'round creep. Our arguments always start because you're so hell bent on forcing me to be your compliant mate, but push me away at the same time. You can't have both, either one if we're going to be honest. 

Sans slammed the bottle down, and turned to face you. The smile was completely off his face, and you swore you saw his eye glowing. You took a step back, just to run into a counter, the cold granite dug into your spine. "you're not 'bout to blame all this shit on me. think any other monster in this entire hell hole would take ya in? spare ya? give ya mercy?" He let out a dry laugh. "think again. i do the best i can, and i'd appreciate it if ya'd stop being a bitch longer than a millisecond and help me. capiche?"

You were being a bitch for feeling like a prisoner? Oh wow, now you understood insanity. "If I'm a bitch for feeling this way, then that makes you a demon for being the instigator of those feelings."

He rolled his eye, yet you also saw something else squirm in his empty eye socket with the action. "don't be so melodramatic. i didn't instigate shit. i'm just a consequence of you falling down here. the way you're feeling is your own fault.

"So it's my fault for having feelings?"

"yup."

You grit your teeth, the nonchalant words striking a cord in your chest. "I hate you."

"heh, feeling's mutual, treat." He turned back to the bottle and opened it up with a light pop. "feelings mutual."

* * *

Sans balanced the tray laden with soup up to his brother's room. The spoon clinked against the chipped bowl, announcing his presence to every rat, speck of bacteria, and bitch in the hallway. He heard his room door slam shut, but ignored it in favor of knocking on his brother's door. If she was going to be difficult, then that was fine. He didn't need her to try and keep his brother's hope up, he'd been doing it long before she came around, and he was gonna do it long after she finally left the picture. 

 The door swung open, and his brother towered over him, smile in place. "BROTHER, I SEE YOU FINISHED. WITH THE WAY YOU WERE CHATTERING WITH THE HUMAN, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU'D FORGOTTEN."

"nah, she's just a soup-er conversationalist." He wiggled the tray for emphasis, causing some of the off grey mush to spill out and onto the green tray.

Papyrus gave a loud sigh, and took the tray from him. He went over to his bed and sat down, Sans following behind him, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. "I WOULD DIGNIFY THAT WITH AN ANSWER, BUT I REFUSE TO ENCOURAGE YOUR SHALLOW HUMOR." 

Sans snorted as his brother dipped the spoon into the soup and swished it around, making the joke far more obvious than it already was. Well, if his brother had the energy to pretend to hate his jokes, then it couldn't be all that bad. He watched his brother out of the corner of his eye. The crack in his shoulder was healing nicely, and there was no infection, but he couldn't see the growth of new bone. Typically, a skeleton could grow an entire limb after only a week of magic intake and rest. However, it took Papyrus nearly double the time to heal even the smallest cuts and knicks. It was just the way he was crafted, and so Sans had been worried about having to snap off an entire limb. Yeah, his brother could live without it, maybe get it to heal, but it was a clear sign of weakness. Let a cannibal prowl around and notice how much weaker Papyrus was, and it wouldn't be long before he was attacked and dusted. 

 It made sense, in a morbid way. Papyrus had the most power and magical control this side of the Underground. It would be absolute over kill for him to be able able to heal at any time. Magic was a cruel mistress. Sans had seen plenty of monsters loose certain abilities overnight because they were honing other skills beyond a certain balance. With magic, you had to be able to keep a balance, or else magic would decide to do it for you. Papyrus was strong, fast, durable, and had enough power to make the core blush in shame. Of course his natural healing prowess would be completely stunted, if not snuffed out after his baby bones stage. 

 "Sans," Said skeleton left his thoughts, looking back to his brother, who had finished his meal. The lower voice volume immediately grabbing his attention. "You know Undyne didn't mean it, right?"

"..."

"She's just sad." He said. "I'm sure if we're a little more patient with her, and keep doing out best to break the barrier, things will be how they used to be."

"think so?"

"OF COURSE!" Papyrus shook his head. "HONESTLY SANS, YOU SHOULD TRY TO KEEP LOOKING FORWARD AND NOT ALWAYS IN THE MOMENT. FOR EXAMPLE," He pointed to a forgotten jerky wrapper, and the many bottles of liquor sitting next to the bed. "YOU KNEW I WOULD WAKE UP EVENTUALLY AND SCOLD YOU ABOUT THE MESS. YOU SHOULD HAVE CLEANED IT UP SOONER." He pinched his sheets, and frowned. "THESE AS WELL. HONESTLY SANS, EVERYTHING IS FILTHY. EVEN I'M A PRODUCT OF YOUR SHORT SIGHTED DIRTY WAYS." He shook his head. "NO, THIS WON'T DO AT ALL. WE MUST GO TO THE BATHING FACILITY AND SCRUB AWAY OUR FILTH, AND YOUR LAZINESS." 

"don't think it's something you can just scrub off, bro."

Papyrus's sockets narrowed as he appraised his brother's rumpled appearance. His jacket was only zipped half way, his t-shirt wasn't tucked in, and his shorts were far too low on his hip bones. "YOU'RE RIGHT, CLEARLY IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN SCRUBBING. PERHAPS WE SHOULD SWEAT IT OUT OF YOU AS WELL. I'M SURE THE HUMAN COULD HELP YOU WITH THAT."

"huh?"

"WOMEN ARE QUITE BOSSY." He said. "VIOLET WAS SAYING IT'S A NATURAL INSTINCT, BUT I'M ALMOST CERTAIN THEY DO IT TO SEE WHO WOULD MAKE A GOOD POTENTIAL MATE. TO ROOT OUT THE IMPATIENT, FROM THOSE WHO WOULD DO AS THEY ASK TO SHUT THEM UP QUICKER." 

Sans snorted. "that so?"

"I WOULD THINK THAT'S THE REASON," He shook his head. "THEN AGAIN, I'M SURE IF THE HUMAN JUST CRACKED HER PHALANGES MORE OFTEN, THAT WOULD WORK FASTER AND BE LESS ANNOYING."

"uh-"

"IN FACT I'LL ASK IF SHE WOULD LIKE TO GO TO THE BATHING FACILITY WITH US." He put the tray on Sans's lap, and stood up. "BATHS BRING EVERYONE CLOSER TOGETHER!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was the end of that. Papyrus is finally awake, and I'm so happy! I loved writing that little weirdo, he was the sole reason there was a so little angst. But, Sans and Treat are getting worse, so he might not be able to save them from themselves. 
> 
> Next chapter is like the mandatory beach chapter, but not. So, tell me what y'all are gonna wanna see, because if you don't, Papyrus will probably fall into another comma. 
> 
> Know what isn't in a comma? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	23. The Bath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Sans drag you to the mysterious 'bathing facility'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> Everyone was so happy Papyrus woke up in that last chapter. It was like y'all had a family reunion or something. XD

Sans ended up bundling you up in his thick winter clothes, even though you weren't staying in Snowdin. He was gonna have to get you some clothes sooner or later, you couldn't keep wearing the same pair of panties, and his toss outs...Then again, you saw him wear these the other day. You sighed and pulled on the thick scraf, trying to get it to loosen up. Sans had tied it tight enough to be a make shift noose. The sweat trickling down your neck wasn't doing you any favors either. You were only in the cavern between Snowdin and Waterfall, and already you wanted to shed a layer of clothing. 

"AH, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE BEEN TO WATERFALL FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES." Papyrus said as you entered the first room. "IT MUST BE RATHER EXCITING FOR YOU. WATERFALL IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, FULL OF HISTORY, CULTURE, AND HIGH SALES TAX."

You raised an eyebrow at the last one, even if he couldn't see it. Papyrus trotted over to the pale blue flower, and leaned down next to it. The corners of his smile dipped down, but he quickly straightened up again. You turned to Sans, but he didn't seem to notice Papyrus's strange behavior, his sockets staring up at the craggy ceiling. "So where's this 'bathing facility'?"

"NOT FAR FROM HERE." Papyrus said as he began to walk again. Sans tugged on your arm, forcing you to follow them both. "I THINK YOU'LL LOVE IT. FLESHY MONSTERS HAVE A STRANGE OBSESSION WITH SCRUBBING AND CLEANING THEMSELVES."

"Do skeletons just not shower?"

"OF COURSE WE DO." He glanced back to you, a frown on his face. "JUST NOT TO THE NEAR OBSESSIVE LEVELS YOUR TYPE DO. EVERY DAY? HOW DO YOU GET ANYTHING DONE?"

"I usually take one at night." You said. "My husband used to take one during the morning before going to work."

You hissed when you felt a sharp pain in the arm Sans was holding, and didn't miss the frown on his face. Papyrus was unperturbed as he continued talking. "YOU HAD A HUMAN ON THE SURFACE? THAT'S NOT SURPRISING, MOST PEOPLE GET WRONGLY MARRIED BEFORE THEY FIND SOMEONE WHO'S SOUL HAS QUALITIES THEY CAN BOND WITH."

Well now that was a surprising response. You expected gasps, disbelief, and general scandalized expressions. The bland acceptance was almost laughable, and if Sans wasn't clearly trying to amputate your arm, you might have laughed. "Oh..."

"I KNOW THAT IT MUST BE STRANGE FOR YOU TO HAVE YOUR PROPER SOUL MATE THEN...OR AT LEAST ONE OF THEM."

"Huh."

"SANS HASN'T TAUGHT YOU ANYTHING, HAS HE?" He gave a gusty sigh and shook his head. "A SOUL HAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF QUALITIES THAT CAN BE BOUND TO ANY NUMBER OF SOULS. SOMETIMES IT'S ONLY ONE PERSON, OTHER TIMES IT CAN BE TWENTY. IT JUST DEPENDS ON THE SOUL QUALITIES." He paused, turning back to the two of you. "THAT'S WHAT THE LEGENDS SAY, ANYWAY."

You all entered another cavern, and the words on your lips died. Out from between the rocks and nearly black moss was more of the pale blue flowers. They grew in long rows, and yellow lights danced between them. A few monsters were bent down, and plucking up the moss, and tossing it on the woven baskets on their backs. One of them looked up, and gave a smile, showing off rows of fanged teeth. Papyrus gave the monster a greeting, but it didn't get a chance to respond as a squid like monster berated it. 

"THIS IS THE SQUIDMIRE FARM." Papyrus said. "THEY GROW ECHO FLOWERS, EARTH WORMS, AND INVISIBLE MOSS. THOUGH, THE MOSS ISN'T REALLY INVISIBLE, JUST HARD TO SEE AGAINST THE FLOOR OR IN THE DARK." You all crossed a stone bridge that was situated over a lake of water. For whatever reason it shimmered and sparkled whenever something moved across its surface. "WATERFALL HAS SOME OF THE MOST FOOD THANKS TO THEIR FARM."

Food? You twisted back around to stare at what Papyrus just called 'food'. Some flowers, moldy looking moss, and worms. Two of those things wouldn't even be considered food for a cow, nevertheless a person. And this farm, which was barely an acre, was what gave Waterfall the most food. There were third world countries that had better eating conditions than this. You glanced back to Sans, who was chatting with his brother about something you hadn't caught. When it came down to it, maybe eating humans really was the only option that the monsters had. It had to be better than earth worms and moss. And, who were you to judge who lived and who died? After all, starvation was just another form of death you would be commending the monsters to if they didn't have humans to eat.

At least, that's what it was starting to look like.

* * *

Tell 'bathing facility' was a large stone building with a giant dome roof, and echo flowers blooming in front of the windows. If you thought the outside was impressive, the I side was even more so. The floors were made of black stone, and there was silk drapes leading to the back. Even the desk, which was made of wood, had flower carvings along the front. A slug monster with a pink bow on the top of her head, slid a card to Papyrus. "Only an hour, and the three of you must be clothed when exiting your room. But you both should know this, right?"

Even though her tone was pleasant, the glare in her blue eyes was a different story. Papyrus nodded vigorously as he pocketed the card. "OF COURSE! WE WOULD NEVER INTENTIONALLY BREAK THE RULES."

"intentionally."

The woman sighed and smacked a red button with her tail, causing a metal door to open on the other side of the room. "Please enjoy your stay at Waterfall Bathing Deluxe."

When you all entered into a narrow hallway, the metal door slammed shut behind you. There were doors on each side, and all of them had numbers painted on the front. Papyrus fished out the card and glanced down at the number, before opening up the second door. The room was larger than you thought it would be, though not exactly what you were expecting. The floors were all a bright red tile, with a drain in the middle of the floor. There was a rack in the corner, far away from the shower heads, and a bath on the opposite side of the room. It was rather deep, and could probably fit a full grown elephant comfortably with room to spare. 

You pursed your lips as Sans took you to the rack, and began stripping off his own clothes. You felt your face go warm and you looked away. The idiot was probably doing it to get a rise out of you. You heard Papyrus gasp from the other side of the room. "THEY HAVE THAT ORANGE SCENTED ONE AGAIN. JELLIN TOLD ME IN STRICT CONFIDENCE THEY WEREN'T LIKELY TO HAVE IT AGAIN."

"looks like it's your lucky day."

You heard metal squeak, before water began to run. You flinched when you felt a cold, bony hand on your face. You were forced to look at the skeleton, eyes raking across his face and going lower against your will. Yup, he was all bones all the way down, a bit thicker than human bones and cracked in certain places. The low chuckle from the skeleton made you look back to his face, a glare settling on yours.  "you gonna shower?"

"You not gonna be a perv?"

"i'm not even attracted to you like that."

"Then don't make me undress-"

"SISTER," You both glanced over, your eyes widening and face warming up when you saw a very naked Papyrus standing by the still filling up tub. "ARE YOU GOING TO GET IN THE BATH?"

"Uh.."

You yelped when you felt your scarf loosen, before being pulled away completely. "she's comin' bro. just a bit shy."

You yanked yourself back and turned away from both of them. There was no way you were letting Sans undress you. A flick of your wrist and the jacket was unzipped and getting tugged off. You hung it up on the rack, before making quick work of your other clothes as well. You folded them neatly, even going as far as to smooth out the wrinkles in your shirt. After a few moments you heard bone click against tile, and Sans's shadow no longer mingled with your own. Sans had seen you naked before, you didn't know why this was so awkward for you. You glanced behind you, just to see Papyrus still not in the water, and looking over various brushes. Sans was already in the water, almost sunk all the way to his nose sockets. 

You turned back to your clothes, and flicked your fingers. You could make an excuse to get out of this. Maybe say you allergic to lemons or something. You flinched when you felt hands on your waist, before you were being dragged into the air. A high pitched squeal escaped your lips, and you clung to Papyrus's shoulders. "YOU MUST BE WORRIED ABOUT FALLING, WELL THAT'S ALRIGHT, SISTER."

You were plopped into the hot water, your head going under, and water filling your nose. You reached out a hand a d grabbed the closest thing, before dragging yourself up. Your lungs heaved and you spat the water out of your mouth, all the while clinging to the thing keeping you up and above drowning. 

"OH LOOK, THEY DON'T HAVE THE BRUSH I REQUIRE." You heard the door open. "I'LL GO INQUIRE ABOUT THEM AT THE FRONT DESK."

The door slammed shut, and you shifted the hair out of your eyes. Now that you could see, you felt your face go warm. Your thighs rubbed against a rough surface, and you swore you heard a growl. You were sitting on Sans's lap, your hand clinging to his lower ribs. You let go, your hand falling limo with a splash. "I..."

"you're fine, treat. bro just threw you on me." He reached out and grabbed your wrist before you could push yourself away from him. "look, i dunno how it works for humans, but no one gives a fuck about your body. my brother ain't gonna look at you twice knowing you're my soul mate, and i'm not attracted to your body like that."

"So?" You jerked your wrist, but you couldn't even move. "That doesn't mean you can stare and force me to get in the bath."

"i didn't dump you in here, papyrus did."

"Yet you're the one holding me." 

Sans gaze drifted from you when the door opened, and Papyrus came back in, a long handled brush in hand. "FOUND IT!" He tossed his robe to the side, and ambled over to the tub, slipping into the water with a content sigh. "SISTER, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO WASH YOUR BACK?"

You opened your mouth, but didn't get a chance to respond when you felt stiff bristles scrub against your skin. It wasn't too hard, just enough to feel like nails sliding down your skin. You leaned into Sans, trying to get away from the feeling, but Papyrus continued anyway. Your breasts pressed into the skeleton's ribs, and your head nestled into Sans's neck. "P-Papyrus."

"IT FEELS GOOD, RIGHT?" You heard the water splash, and the brush went lower down your back. "IT'S A SPECIAL BRUSH WE USE AFTER THE INITIAL, HARDER SCRUBBING. YOUR SKIN SHOULD BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THIS PARTICULAR MODEL."

"Papyrus, please-Ah!" Your back arched after a particular hard pass against your spine. Your fingers curled into Sans's ribs, and your fingers popped from the force of it. You heard Sans growl, almost covered up by a loud splash. 

"WHOOPS, I FORGOT TO GET THE SCRUBBING SALT." You heard more splashing, the rustle of cloth, and the door opening again. "I'LL BE BACK. EVENTUALLY. IT SHOULD TAKE THE RECEPTIONIST A RATHER LONG TIME TO FIND THE SALTS."

The door had barely slammed before you felt Sans pushing you off of him, his sockets black pits and his smile threatening to crack his skull further. "you're just a fucking tease."

"I keep telling you it's not on purpose."

"i can smell you." He leaned down and pressed his nasal cavity to your neck. The feeling of bone against your neck, digging into your skin helping to fuel your already awakened masochistic tendencies. "you know what that popping does to a skeleton? it tells us you're ready to fuck. so you on top of me, moaning and wiggling in my lap, popping your bones?" You felt him pull you down so you were settled deep into his lap. Bones scraped against your thighs, and the water had wisps of red intermingled in it. "i just want to fuck your brains out."

"You just said-"

"heh, funny ain't it?" He tapped the side of his skull. "this wants me to get rid of this _thing_ between us." He lowered his hand to his chest and tapped the first few rungs of ribs. "my instincts want you under me screaming my name, and my bite marks all over that malleable skin." His fingers reached out and caressed your shoulder. "it's annoying as fuck, treat. wanting you like this. it's gonna drive me to drink, pull down my defenses, and i probably won't be able to stop myself then. that night before paps got hurt? you were a temptation right outta those proverbs gerson used to tell paps. and you? i been trying to keep myself from indulging." 

You shook your head and pushed back, but his grip on your wrist tightened. "You're insane. You make yourself sound like...like..."

"an animal?" He gave a dry laugh, one that made your skin crawl. "that's why i hate it. can't think logical with this sorta thing. gotta do things on impulse, and i'm too lazy for that. probably the only reason i haven't raped you yet."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"hmm?"

"Why are you telling me this!" You pushed yourself onto your knees, water dripping down your body as yours did your best to tower over the skeleton. "Why would you tell me that you want to rape me, and find me a sexual object, but the only reason you haven't done anything is because you're too lazy?" Your eyes narrowed. "Did you think it would be endearing? Thankful to you, perhaps?  That I wouldn't be terrified of you anymore than I already am? Is this just one giant joke right now? Something for you to get your rocks off before you jack off to that fire girl in your magazine?"

"nope."

"Then why?"

He yanked you down by your hair, pulling you back into the water, and into his lap. His teeth were inches from your lips, you could feel a sharp coldness trickling from his mouth. "because i'm trying to protect _you_ from _me_." 

Cold fingers massaged your scalp, and the music in your head shifted. It was marginally slower, and there was a deep thrum to it that made your heart beat faster. Your thoughts were interrupted by Sans's grip on your head tightening, and him dragging you closer. Your lips pressed against his teeth, and you felt a pang on anger. Your pressed against his ribs, but his grip on your thigh tightened considerably, making you gasp. A choked squeal escaped your lips when you felt something freezing and metallic slip into your mouth. The hand on your thigh slipped up to your ass, then your spine, massaging the vertebrae under the rolls of fat and skin. A low growl rumbled through your captor, the sound seeming to vibrate on his roaming tongue. 

You jumped when it first finally met yours, and began to clumsily massage it. You brought your jaws down hard, and to your surprise they sank right through it with no damage at all. He separated from you anyway, a pale blue tongue flicking over his top row of teeth. "You fucking-Ah!"

He leaned in again, his tongue snaking against your neck. Every dip and mark was bathed in a cold slime that made your skin crawl. When he got to your pulse he paused, the fingers massaging your spine slowing down as well. He pressed his teeth against the small vein and all thoughts of pushing him away died. If he bit down too hard, he could kill you without a second thought. Instead he pressed his tongue against it, another growl echoing through the small bathroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, how was that? Of course this both makes things worse or better. It is a slow burn after all! Though, chapter or so ago someone said Sans's instincts would eventually take over. Looks like you were right, person! Sans is a horny asshole, and his instincts are only gonna get worse.
> 
> Know what isn't horny? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	24. After Bath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has to follow through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> XD Y'all loved that steamy last chapter. I can't wait to post the actual smut, and see y'alls reaction.

You tugged on your clothes, back turned away from the brothers, your fingers shaking. Your mind replayed his words, and the touches that had accompanied them. He had been so sure of himself, and self deprecating. It upset him, to be soul mates with you, and to be bound by instincts. Were the instincts keeping him from killing you, and not the idea of being in pain? You wrapped your scarf around your neck, and pulled it over your nose and mouth. Well, you knew it had to be instincts that insisted on touching you that way. Maybe it was the same way when he was drunk too. That those times he touched you like that wasn't the drink, but his instincts? You shook your head and tightened the bow of your scarf. That was no excuse. If you said no, then that meant no. He couldn't just touch you whenever he pleased, instincts or not.

You flinched when you felt a hand on your shoulder, and you were jerked around to come face to face with Sans. His eyelight roamed over your face, before he reached out and grabbed your hood. With a jerk he pulled the hood over your head, effectively obscuring most of your face from view. He lingered for a moment, making your eyes narrow, before Papyrus swung the door to the room open. "ARE WE READY TO LEAVE?"

Sans let go of your hood and turned to his brother. "yup."

"GREAT, LET'S BE OFF THEN."

Papyrus shuffled out of the room, Sans following behind him, a death grip on your wrist. You whimpered and stumbled behind him, almost tripping over your own two feet. When they were in the lobby, Papyrus put the card on the desk and signed out. The slug woman didn't bother to look up from her magazine, her thick tail picking up the card and putting it in a drawer on her side of the desk. You shifted from one leg to another, feeling heavy and exhausted. Outside of Sans insisting on groping you, and Papyrus poking you in the bath, it had been alright. You couldn't wait to get home so you could fall asleep. 

You felt Sans stiffen next to you, and he pulled you closer to him as a monster that looked like a devil Halloween prop entered the room. It tilted its head, and took a few steps over to you. "Oh, heya Sans, Papyrus, uh..." It tilted its head to the side. "I have no idea who you are."

Unsurprised, Papyrus answered for you. "AH, HELLO DEVILIN. THIS IS SANS'S MATE -"

"Seriously?" The seemingly painted mouth became a small 'o'. "Didn't think Sans would have it in him. I mean, you're kind of a..." 

"slob."

"I was gonna say jackass, but that works!" He tilted forward, his cloak billowing slightly and revealing lanky arms tipped with long claws. "Your mate though..." It came closer, Sans growled and pulled you closer to him, his bones pressing into you through both of your layers of clothes. Even though you were taller than him, he suddenly felt much bigger in comparison. "I don't have a sniffer like those dogs, but she smells really good." He reached a hand towards you. "Kinda makes my mouth water-"

You all jumped when a loud band erupted in the room. Papyrus had a hand pressed to the counter, a broken pen rolling next to him. "MY APOLOGIES, I SEEMED TO HAVE SLAMMED THIS PEN DOWN WITH FAR TOO MUCH OF MY IMPRESSIVE STRENGTH." The slug sighed and shook her head. "IF THAT'S EVERYTHING, MAYBE WE SHOULD LEAVE?"

Devilin's hand retreated back behind the cloak. "I was just leaving too. Maybe we could all have some drinks? I'll pay for the first round."

A frown tugged on your lips at the suggestion, and you glanced over to Sans. His easy going smile was still in place, even if his grip on you was still tight. "sure, why not."

Papyrus let out a gusty sigh. "I WILL NOT BE ATTENDING. I'VE HAD ENOUGH ALCOHOL TO LAST ME THE REST OF THE YEAR. AND BESIDES, GRILLBY'S IS AN UTTER GREASE PIT."

"suit yourself bro, guess it'll just be me and treat."

You cringed as the red devil escorted the two of you out of the bathhouse, your hands curling into Sans's jacket. He paused and glanced to you for a moment, before turning away, a low rumble sounding in his chest. 

* * *

Grillby's wasn't crowded when they entered the place. Just a few of the slackers, and the local drunk sitting at one end of the bar. A few gave half hearted greetings as Sans guided the human to sit down, not letting her leave his sight, nor their unwanted host. The devil monster was relaxed, hands hidden in his cloak, and his smile in place. 

Sans didn't know Devilin all that well. He knew the guy had a decent sense of smell that could rival the dogs, and was usually a cheerful guy, if not a bit creepy. Sans knew that he had no real desire to drink with him, his eyes shifting to glance to his mate every now and then, insisting on sitting next to her at the bar. He reached out and put a hand on the human's thigh, she stiffened but didn't object to the contact. He could hear her song throbbing and shifting, clearly worried about their guest. 

"So I heard through the echos what happened to Papyrus. Surprised it didn't take long for him to get on his feet." Devilin said. "Undyne's uh...Well, she did a number on him."

"paps is pretty cool, huh?"

"A walking ball of energy."

Sans grunted and waved Grillby over. He had no intention on drinking anything heavy, he couldn't let his guard down in a place like this. The human was in danger with so many hungry monsters around, on top of that he had competition. In the book, Sans had read that the idea of one soul destined to belonging to another was completely false. Instead, one soul was able to completely dominate the other, and the other soul accepted the domination in everyway. That legend Papyrus told the human was complete bullshit, and anyone who courted another monster knew it. That was why soul mate bonds were so rare now a days. No one was willing to completely submit themselves to another monster. 

Sans was dragged out of his thoughts when the walking inferno came to take their orders. Sans got a beer for himself and an echo flower tea for the human. Devilin got brain juice with a splash of human whiskey. When the bartender walked away, Devilin turned back to the human. "So are you guys really soul mates? I mean, I didn't even hear about a ceremony. Then again, I bet Sans would sleep through his own bonding ceremony."

"probably. once you've seen one, you've seen 'em all."

"That's a very you like thing to say."

He saw the human nod along, and he had to restrain a chuckle. "I'm happy without one anyway," She said. "it'd be a hassle."

"Yeah, but that means you're not validated by the community." He said. "Whichever one of you is the dominate must have thought of that." 

Sans felt his phalanges curl into the human's thigh. "it's not gonna be a problem, is it?"

Devilin gave a blank smile, the same one that seemed to be his default expression. There was a hint of irritation in his eyes, and the reversion meant that he was actively trying to cover it up. Sans knew that Devilin had a mate at one point, but he was put to death after getting caught for cannibalism. So why would he be so interested in his own mate? 

The thunk of glass against wood distracted him from his staring contest. Grillby, pushed the cups and bottle forward, and tossed Devilin his ration chip. The monster caught it easily, and pocketed it away, before grabbing his shot glass. "Whelp, congrats you two. I'm glad you could find happiness even in these dark times."

Sans took a swig of his beer, while the human just held her tea. She stared into the blue cup for a moment, before her head turned towards him. If she didn't drink it, Devilin would get pissy, but if she did drink it, she would reveal her face. There was no way he could lie and say she wasn't human, her features were too distinct. He took another swig of his bottle, before setting it down and snatching up her tea. Without a word he opened his jaws as wide as they could, his maxilla and mandible throbbing in pain from the movement, before dumping every drop of tea in his mouth. He saw Devilin raise an eyebrow, but he didn't give him a chance to comment as he slammed the cup down, and pushed himself up, dragging the human up with him. "let's go."

"You sure, we only just got here?"

"pretty sure."

The devil shrugged and finished his shot glass. "Well, suit yourself. Nice talking to you guys."

Sans gave a half hearted wave as he walked away, his phalanges laced with the human's. Let Devilin think it was a bout of jealousy fueling his intentions, it was far safer than the alternative. Though, a part of Sans was more than a little glad when they were in the snow, and away from the rival trying to steal away his mate. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, that title was supposed to be a pun...It failed on all fronts. Also, yes, Devilin is the devil like guy from Snowdin. Though, whether or not he's a bad guy is up to you. I just thought he doesn't get any appearance in most fanfictions, and I actually like his design. 
> 
> Also, this arc has imploded from what it was supposed to be thanks to character development. Admittedly, I think Sans would naturally get lost in his instincts over time. Living with your mate for well over a month, and through his heat too? Yeah, those barriers are getting ripped to shreds whether he likes it or not. 
> 
> Know what isn't getting ripped to shreds? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	25. Winding Tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jobs must be done with Papyrus awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> We return back to our regularly scheduled plot!

Sans and Papyrus ended up having to go to work the next day. Sans informed you that you had to be left behind since the place he had to go to wasn't 'human friendly'. Papyrus had to go to the capital for whatever reason, leaving you alone in the house once again. You sighed and pushed yourself out of the blankets, your t-shirt falling into place when you were standing. You grabbed your jacket and a cleanish pair of pants, and slipped them on, before grabbing up the scarf from under your pillow and wrapping it around your face. You left the room and hurried down the stairs, stopping at the bottom of them and slipping your feet into the ratty tennis shoes.  

You double checked your wardrobe one more time before going to the front door, fingers twisting and popping. You were going to explore Waterfall with Flowey today. A spur of the moment decision that was more prompted from your mind replaying yesterday's bath, than anything else. You sighed and yanked open the door, a flurry of snow and cold wind blasting into your face. You slipped out of the house and shut the door behind you. It was probably a bad idea to keep the door unlocked, especially if Sans came to check on you, but you needed to have a way inside. You doubted you would be able to climb up to the balcony, you were terrible at climbing.    

You clambered down off the porch and into the 'front yard'. The snow was deep today, the cold already soaking through your shoes and making your toes stiff. "Flowey?"

Snow shifted and fell away as the flower popped out of the ground. The green eye blinked multiple times, trying to get th he s ow out, before it narrowed. "Didn't they just leave?" 

"Yes, but I want to be able to get a good ways before curfew."  

 The narrowed eye softened, and a light chuckle emitted from the flower. "Well look who's embracing their trait." A series of Denmark brown roots clawed out of the snow, twisting around your pants leg. The few that brushed your skin made you shudder, they were cold and felt like spiders. "I'm gonna ride on you today, the snow's too packed in to navigate through." 

* * *

Sans watched the small family from afar, hands in his pockets, back against an old spruce tree. All three family members were tall monsters with bulbous heads and no eyes. The Spheredens, if he remembered rightly. They were Ginny's family, pretty well to do all things considered. Her Dad worked some job down at the core, while the mother stayed at home. The eldest daughter was going to be attending university at the capital next year. All three were hauling boxes out of the igloo house, most of them shut with something he couldn't read scribbled on them. Huffing he dug deeper into his jacket pocket, and extracted a banged up pair of reading glasses out of his pocket. He opened them up and held them up to his sockets for a minute.  

Ginny. 

That was what the boxes said. They must finally be getting rid of her things. The last time he'd spied on them, they were going through the mourning traditions. Nothing exactly suspicious, just keeping the curtains drawn, and taking the deceased's favorite thing to all their favorite places. Most of those places were to be expected of a typical Snowdin kid. The library, the river bank, the school house, the wishing room over at Waterfall...But the one place that confused him was their trek to Hotland.  

They had gone down to a small lava pit not too far from the old lab, set the bow down, and just...sat there. Sans knew kids could be weird, Papyrus had been obsessed with a single boulder for a bit, but that was pretty odd. It was a normal lava pit, about as deep as a kiddy pool, and belching your run of the mill smoke and noxious fumes. There was nothing impressive about it like the one standing a few feet away. At least that one blew fire every thirty minutes on the dot. All in all that mission had been boring. If he had a brain, it would have rotted out. 

Sans sighed and stuffed his glasses back into his pocket and turned on his heel, going to his sentry station. Well, getting rid of their kid's stuff wasn't suspicious. When all that stuff got sold to Violet, he'd get Papyrus or Treat to take a look at it. If anything interest wound up in the pile, he'd make a note of it in his report. Until then, it looked like it was time for a well earned nap.  

* * *

You adjusted your scarf, allowing Flowey to move a bit more freely. You had just entered Waterfall without incident, thank god. You were pretty happy the skeleton brothers lived so close to the edge of town, it made these treks easier. "Keep going straight ahead. The cavern will open up to a small river, you're gonna have to make the bridge." 

"Make it?" 

"Everything down here is fortified by puzzles." Flowey said. " Everything. It's no wonder they all ran out of food, if they used the same brain power they used on puzzles for their food shortage, they probably wouldn't have so many problems. Idiots." 

You raised an eyebrow. "You really don't like people, do you?" 

"No. People are stupid." 

You didn't even have to look down to hear the sneer in his voice. You wondered what caused Flowey to be so jaded. While things were pretty bad down here, you noticed a large chunk of them didn't have such a bitter mentality. It was only just Sans and Flowey. Those two would probably get along if they ever met. Then again Sans didn't seem to like anyone outside Papyrus, if his display at the bar was anything to go by. You shook your head, clearing yourself of such thoughts. No, you didn't need to think about him, you needed to focus on getting as far as you could today.  

As you entered the new room, you let a low gasp escape your lips. The river Flowey had spoke of was wide, and had clear, blue water running at a moderate pace. However, that wasn't what had gotten such a reaction. You knelt down close to the river's edge, your face reflecting in the water. Along the surface were actual sparkles, a pale silver that reminded you of stars. You reached out to touch them, but brown roots clambered up your arm and snatched it back. "Trust me, you don't want to touch them." 

"What are they?" 

"You don't wanna know." You curled your lips when Flowey popped out of your shirt and plummeted to the ground. He fell with a grown and a curse, before his roots sank into the rocks and dirt. "Alright, see those flowers over there?" You followed his gaze to a series of closed blossoms by shore. They were almost as tall as a toddler, and as wide as you. "Pick them up and chuck them in the river. They'll make a bridge for you to cross. You want them to get to that edge there," He jabbed a leaf towards a short overhang. "If you need to start over, ring the bell and they grow again." 

"That's...pretty convenient." You went over to the plants, and bent down, ripping the first one up from the roots. Dirt sprayed everywhere, but after Flowey digging around in your clothes, you didn't mind as much. You held the flower close, the warmth radiating from it reminding you of those bulky space heaters from your childhood. "Why aren't these used for food?" 

"Well..." 

You tossed the flower into the water, and it slowly opened. The petals were a delicate white with a frosted pink middle. The roots slipped under the water, and small bubbles appeared on the surface. As it floated up stream, the middle began to pulse, and the green leaves expanded. When it stopped at the desired place, you went back to get the next one. "You didn't answer my question." 

Flowey raised a single leaf, and your turned back to the flower. The leaves were now pointed up, and they were split down the middle. Long, jagged edges were found along the sides, looking eerily close like teeth. "They feed on magic. They weren't like this before, but whenever they're in the water, they get hungry since there's not a lot of magic in it. They want more, so they hunt for it." He gestured to the bell shaped flower. "Don't let that one anywhere near the water." 

"Why?" 

"Let's just say momma would get hungry." 

You stared down at the plant in your arms, then to the one waving its leaves in the river. What did you get yourself into? 

* * *

Sans sighed as he trudged into the house, slamming the door behind him. Snow melted off his coat as he made his way to the stairs, his consciousness leaning towards sleep. It had been a long day of sentry duty. After spying on Ginny's family, he ended up having to break up a fight by his station between Dogaressa and Greater Dog. After that there was his actual patrol, which ended with having to fix the ice thrower machine. He really missed...Wolf, Ice Wolf, whatever his name was. Maybe he should go visit him sometime. The guy was his neighbor twice removed, he didn't have much of an excuse. 

Sans opened up his bedroom door, and the need for sleep pressed against him twofold. There was his bed, all nice and lumpy, with the human curled around his pillow by the wall. He slipped out of his slippers, and let himself fall on top of the human. She yelped and sat up, but he ignored her,pressing his head into her stomach. God, she felt good, like a gigantic pillow. Maybe he could start using her for a bed. "The hell are you doing?"

"what does it look like?"

He heard her take a deep intake of breath, but her body didn't relax. However she didn't push him away either. He was going to call this one a win. He groaned and shut his sockets, wrapping himself up in the warmth and overall squishy-ness of the human. As he was lulling off to sleep, he could hear the human sigh and shuffle, her muscles flexing and bending. A sharp hiss rang out in the room, and Sans cracked open a socket. "you alright?"

"..."

Irritation bloomed in his bones, his magic itching away at his soul. Was she hiding something from him? Her soul frequency had been a bit jumpy, but outside of that he hadn't noticed anything. "did devilin come by?"

"The devil guy? No, I haven't seen him at all."

Sans sat up, gaze screwed on the human. Her arms were by her sides, while her legs were crossed. Her hair was messy, and her eyes wide as she looked up at him. She didn't smell particularly different, and she didn't look injured. If there was nothing wrong with her, then why was she acting that way? He leaned down and pressed his nasal cavity against her neck, feeling the light drum of her plus against the more sensitive part of his body. It was beating rapidly, like a moth against a light. That typically meant a human was scared of something. 

He leaned back up, gaze fixed her. "scared of me touching you?" Her lips pressed together in a thin line. He hit that one right on the head. "that's fair, i guess. doesn't explain why your soul frequency was so jumpy today. doing something you're not supposed to?" 

"..."

Her fingers flexed, but she didn't dare pop them. Good, at least something stayed in that thick skull of hers. Though that was a nervous twitch she had, and if she didn't do anything, then she would have just rolled her eyes or argued. Sans sighed and leaned over her, yanking his pillow up, before pushing her off the bed. He ignored her squeal, and the loud bang and cursing when she hit the floor. He played back in the bed, and stuffed the pillow behind him, giving a low sigh as he shut his sockets. Whelp, looked like he had a second spying assignment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was that. Sans and Treat are just busy getting worse, aren't they? I think this chapter was trash, but I love the idea of man eating plants. I mean Flowey is nice and all, but I need creepy plants! Also, I kinda think they run on magic, though the reason the monsters can't eat them isn't rightly explained. Flowey just wanted to freak Treat out. XD
> 
> Know what doesn't want to freak out Treat? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com
> 
> P.S: I'm currently answering asks for this fic 'in character'. So if you have any pressing questions, just pop over to my tumble and leave an ask in my box, and I'll let the characters in this fic, any that made an appearance, answer your questions!


	26. Slow Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend time with Papyrus, and it goes horribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> Guyyyyys! I got some fan art! http://floralpuns.deviantart.com/art/The-Devil-s-Brand-of-Humor-Fanart-652953185
> 
> FloralPUNS made it! It's a picture of Great and Sans, it's so awesome!

You shuddered as a cold wind whipped through the forest, rattling the trees, and threatening to tip your hood off your head. It was cold and you were more than ready to go back home and crawl into bed. However, Papyrus was far more thorough in his patrols than Sans was, and since Sans was busy this week, you were going with him. You shoved your hands deeper into your pockets and curled your fingers, trying to keep them from going stiff. It would be incredibly awkward to start popping joints with Papyrus around. And you really didn't want to know what Sans would do to you if he heard you did that.  The image of him lopping off your fingers with his axe came to mind, and you shook your head wildly.   

"SISTER, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus was a few feet ahead of you, concern contorting his skull. "YOU LOOK UNWELL." 

"Y-yeah, just cold." 

He went back over to you, and slid off his glove, and took another one out of his pocket. You'd never seen his hands before, and now you knew why. The bones were littered with pits and scars, in more than one place they looked like they had been shattered and glued back together. His pinky finger was a stark black, almost like it had been lit on fire. You blinked when the orange cloth was waved in your face, and you took the gloves, slipping them over your hands. They were at least three sizes too large, and cold, but they were better than nothing. 

"BETTER NOW?"

You stuffed your hands back in your pockets and nodded. "Thanks, Papyrus."

"OF COURSE, SISTER." He said. "SANS WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IF I LET YOU FREEZE TO DEATH." 

The two of you began to walk again, this time Papyrus keeping pace with you. Every so often your gaze went back to his hand, and you frowned. You must actually mean a lot to Papyrus...Or at least the false image his brother was desperate to preserve. You knew that Papyrus was rather full of himself and his image, and his gloves were a staple part of his outfit. Was their entire purpose just to hide such hideous scars? 

"Papyrus, what happened to your hand?"

He brought his hand up, and flushed a pale orange. "WELL, AS A CHILD I WAS PLAYING IN WITH MY BROTHER IN WATERFALL, AND THERE WAS AN...ACCIDENT. MY BROTHER HAD TO PULL MY HAND OUT OF A HOLE AND HEAL IT. HOWEVER, IT COULD NEVER TRULY HEAL PROPERLY. BACK THEN WE COULDN'T AFFORD A DOCTOR, AND MY BODY KEPT REJECTING HIS HEALING MAGIC. IT WAS A MIRACLE MY HAND GREW BACK AT ALL."

"So then maybe your arm will grow back."

"PERHAPS."

The two of you walked in silence a bit longer, your eyes gazing at the trees that were beginning to swirl together into a sea of nothingness. You were on the edge if Snowdin now, so close to the ruins. In fact, if you squinted, you could even see the giant, purple door. Part of you wondered how Toriel was doing, but it was quickly smothered by anger. She had tried to keep you for. Your family, become a replacement. That was unforgivable in your book, just like no matter how often you spoke to Sans and Papyrus, you were unlikely to ever forgive them for what they were doing to you. 

Keeping you from your family. 

Even if they weren't looking for you, or even thought you were dead, you still wanted to go back home. You flexed your fingers, enjoying the restriction of movement from your ring finger. It wasn't a fancy ring, neither of you had wanted anything fancy when it came to the wedding, but it came from the heart. The two of you had sacrificed so much together, so you couldn't give up. If not for your own sake, then for Javier's. 

* * *

 Papyrus stopped by Sans's sentry station, hands on his hips as he looked it over. "IT'S IN NEED OF REPAIR AGAIN. I'VE TOLD THAT LAZY BONES TO WORK ON IT! HE NEVER LISTENS." 

You watched as Papyrus went behind the small shack, and pulled out several planks of wood, and set them on the counter. He grumbled to himself as he fixed them around the splintered counter top, before shaking his head. "IT SEEMS I NEED TOOLS. SISTER, WOULD YOU MIND GOING BACK TO THE GARAGE AND GETTING THEM?"

You shuddered at the thought. The last time you stepped inside the 'garage', you ended up in a box of guts. But then, it was probably safer to head back to the house, then hang around here for an indefinite amount of time. "Alright. I'll be right back."

You turned on your heel and power walked through the snow. Your stamina had gotten better recently. You supposed it was bound to happen with how often you walked around here. Especially the last four days, you'd spent your time going back and forth to Waterfall, trying to make that crossing. The first time you tried it you had pulled a muscle in your leg, getting tossed to the floor hadn't helped. The second time you'd gotten tossed in the water, making the trip back to Snowdin had been utter hell. And of course Sans had to walk in on you in the middle of changing, and had proceeded to watch you the whole time.

Jackass.

The last two trips were closer to success though. Flowey taunted you of course, more often than not telling you that it was amazing how long you had lasted in this world. Most days you would agree with him, you still weren't sure how you got around without being noticed. 

Your thoughts came to a halt when you entered the town. Devilin was just coming out one of the houses, sliding his arms back under his cloak. You dashed behind the Snowdin sign, and watched him go down the steps. Sans had gotten upset when he thought you were speaking with Devilin without him, and while you hadn't seen much of Sans the last couple of days, you were sure word would get back to him somehow. Gossip always spread like a wildfire in small towns. Devilin paused, his gaze fixed on the sign, and you felt your heart beat faster against your ribs. After a few moments he shook his head and walked down the street. You struggled to your feet, snow falling off your pants legs, and hurried down the road. A few of the monsters glanced over to you, but none of then approached, and for that you were thankful. You weren't sure you knew how to hold a proper conversation with a monster that didn't know your secret. Eventually you would have to start practicing. 

The thought made your nose wrinkle. You really didn't want to start getting comfortable here. It would make you lower your guard and become complacent, two things that were dangerous in a kidnapping situation. You would be under the influence of Stockholm syndrome in no time flat with that type of attitude. You shook the thought away as you went to the door. You needed to stop being unselfish and help Papyrus, he could hurt himself further if you didn't help him. 

Your frown deepened when you saw the open door to the garage. Sans shouldn't be home, he said he was going to be gone all day. That meant it was an intruder, and of course you had to be the one to stumble upon them. You glanced around, looking for accomplices. When none reappeared, you crept over to the door and peeked inside. It wasn't very dark inside, the light was on and you could hear the shuffling of cloth. You bit your lip and cracked the door open a little further. Standing on the other side of the room was Sans, his shirt and jacket off. His axe was embedded in the floor, and a bucket was turned upside down. He sat down, his bones rattling together. 

He pressed his skull against the wall, and clenched his hands. You could see something balled up in the left one, it was some kind of cloth. Sans had rarely been around the last few days, and when he was around he looked exhausted and wouldn't stop staring at you. You weren't sure what his problem was, but when you asked, Papyrus had merely given you a strange look. You curled your fingers around the door, but stopped when he pulled down the front of his shorts. Instead of a bare pelvis like last time, there was a glowing...penis. It was a bright blue that wasn't exceptionally long, but was rather thick. From here it looked like something was swirling around inside it, but your couldn't tell what. 

Everything was telling you to look away, that you were doing something indecent, but you couldn't. You just stood there, watching his hand glide up and down the shaft, sockets shut, and a faint blue staining his cheek bones. He growled and gave the tip a light squeeze, before returning back to his jerking motion. You were no virgin, you had slept with plenty of men before your husband, but watching this had your face warm and shame swirling in your stomach. This was a natural function for him, and there was no way in hell you were attracted to a skeleton, but as his pace quickened and his growls became snarls, you wanted to look away.

But you couldn't.

Then, to both your horror and satisfaction, he brought his left hand up to his nasal cavity. In his hand was your underwear, the blood stained ones you had refused to wear once your period ended. He was sniffing it like some horny teenage boy, but the worst part was that he seemed to enjoy it. His pace was practically frantic now, and his hips were rocking to meet his hand. A fainter shade of blue liquid began to bead at the tip of his dick, helping him along. "fuck, treat. you smell so fucking-!"

His mouth opened, and a long tongue the same shade of blue as his penis slipped out of his mouth, tasting the fabric. You let go of the door completely now, and took a step back. It was revolting, unhygenic, and a complete breach of privacy-!

Yet the hottest thing you ever saw.  

He continued tonguing at the underwear, his hand and hips going at a break neck pace. The poor bucket creaked, and his bones rattled. The lewd sound of his hand jacking off his dick over took it all though, he probably wouldn't even notice your groan. His thumb rounded the head of his cock, and he gave a hard squeeze to the base. Cum splattered into his ribs, clinging to the dirty bones, and a harsh snarl of your name escaped him, muffled by your panties. 

He remained in that position for a moment longer, looking dead from how motionless he was. You took another step away from the shed, and twisted on your heel. You would just tell Papyrus you couldn't find what he needed, while you tried to scrub the image from your mind, guilt scrubbing at your soul. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, don't die guys. Dying is bad. Anyway! So, Sans is being creepy, Treat is getting better at walking along flowers, and Papyrus is still a cinnamon roll. If you thought this chapter was creepy, you might now like the next couple...
> 
> Know what isn't creepy? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	27. A Surge of Awkwardness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of spying of a skeleton jerking off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> You guys had the best reactions to the last chapter, I swear to god.

Your fingers curled and bent as Papyrus cooked dinner for the three of you. It had something to do with vegetables and slime mold. He swore it wouldn't kill you, and even if it could, Sans could probably keep you alive. At the mention of the older skeleton brother, you had bit your lip hard, and nearly popped your thumb out of the socket from how hard you bent it. Papyrus hadn't mentioned the slip up though, still going on and on about his soup. You were glad he was so preoccupied with it, you didn't think you could focus on the exuberant skeleton long enough to hold a decent conversation.  

Every time you closed your eyes, you saw a bright blue penis, and white hands pumping it with a passion. You could almost hear his growls, and the creak of the bucket. You didn't know why it affected you so much, seeing Sans jerk off like that. You had caught your husband in the act before, and had even joined him, so this wasn't something new to you. Maybe you could justify it by saying you didn't know a skeleton had a penis, or that you didn't know what Sans was doing until it was too late... 

But that didn't explain why you _stayed_.   

You had stood outside the door and watched the entire thing, even when he brought your underwear to your face and had proved he was thinking of you, the decency to leave didn't occur to you. What would your husband say to your disloyal behavior? You knew he was pretty open minded with most things, but he was still... 

A loud bang caused you to jump, almost toppling out of your chair. You heard Papyrus call out a greeting, and twisted around in time to see Sans walk into the kitchen, covered in snow, and cheek bones tinted a faint blue. His gaze flicked to you, the pupil narrowing on your shuffling form. You felt your face go warm and you looked away, suddenly finding the table to be the most fascinating thing in the world. He knew, didn't he? Why else would he stare at you like that? His expression was always a smile, and yet it wasn't when he saw you. Maybe you should just fess up, that might spare you some kind of punishment. You were no good at lying, the only reason you got away with it earlier when it came to Papyrus was because he ended up finding the tools. He even finished the shed before you got back, and was putting some tools away in a rusted tool box. You didn't have to say anything to him, just compliment his handiwork, which was actually good, all things considered.  

You flinched when you felt bony fingers curl into the meat of your hips, and lifted you up with ease. Sans sat himself down, and put you in his lap, a content sigh escaping him. "were you good today?" 

"Yeah." 

"WE FIXED YOUR SENTRY STATION." Papyrus said. "WELL, I DID. I ENDED UP SENDING SISTER ON A FOOLS RUN. HOPEFULLY IT TURNED OUT SOMEWHAT PROFITABLE FOR YOU?" 

You felt your jaw drop as you stared at the grinning skeleton. He knew Sans was going at it, didn't he? Why would he do that! Did he just want to see you suffer? "Papyrus-!" 

"what're you talking about, bro? i was over at waterfall today." 

 "OH..."

"..."

"..."

"WELL THEN," He grabbed three bowls off the counter and slid them closer, before dipping his ladle in the pot, and serving the bowls. "AT LEAST SOMETHING GOT DONE. I THINK UNDYNE WOULD TRAIN ME IF SHE FOUND OUT THAT YOUR STATION WAS IN DISARRAY AGAIN."

"better than grillbz finding out i sell hotcats."

"...PERHAPS YOU'RE RIGHT."

 Papyrus set the ladle down and put a top over the food, before picking up a bowl. The other two became encased in dark blue magic, and floated behind him. The other two bowls floated to your side of the table, while Papyrus sat opposite the two of you. You grabbed you spoon and dug into the meal, ignoring the slight putrid taste, and focusing on swallowing. Sans hadn't fed you in two days, and you were happy to eat anything at this point, even gray-green mush that smelled like rotting asparagus. 

While you ate, you noticed Sans's fingers curled and sank into the meat of your hips. You paused and glanced back at him, but he wasn't looking at you, his attention directed to his brother. You turned back to your own food, but his actions didn't stop. Even after he ate, and was waiting on you,his fingers continued to massage your body. His fingers slid down from your hips to your thigh, and back up again. However, it was when he slipped his fingers under the band of your pants that you slammed your spoon into the now empty bowl. 

You ripped his hand off of you and stood up. "Do you want me to help you wash dishes, Papyrus?"

He blinked for a moment, before a grin covered his skull. "OF COURSE. IT'S NICE THAT ONE OF YOU UNDERSTANDS THAT THE HOW MUST BE KEPT CLEAN."

Sans let out a low chuckle, but didn't object as you stacked up the three bowls and followed Papyrus to the sink. You didn't like having to climb up to the sink, but you were willing to do anything to get away from Sans for awhile. You glanced back to the skeleton monster, his eye fixed on you, and his smile still in place. 

* * *

Sans watched the human strip off her day clothes, tossing them onto the pile on the floor. Her body smelled like a mixture of himself and her, a spicy yet metallic smell that only pissed him off. That mix was superficial, something that happened only because she was wearing his clothes. It wasn't because he had slammed her onto the bed and fucked her brains out. Though, he has to admit, he did like it when she wore his clothes. It showed everyone how she belonged to him, without showing she was human. 

He watched her gather up her blanket and go to the other side of the room, and curl into a small ball on the floor. Irritation itched at his skull as he watched her fall asleep. She needed to be closer to him, that way he could protect her properly. He slipped out of the bed, and went over to her, pulling her up. She opened up an eye and glared at him, but said nothing as he tossed her onto the bed, and crawled in after her.

He sighed and pressed his skull to her stomach. The growl and gurgle of her guts was foreign to him, but he liked it in a way. It was proffered she was still alive. His phalanges pet her thigh, and her soul frequency accelerated. He glanced up to the human, she was sitting up and staring at him, biting her bottom lip. He brushed her thigh again, this time closer to her core. "S-Sans, this isn't right."

He sat up and pushed her onto her back, her body bouncing the slightest bit. Her legs slid against his hips, and her mouth opened. Before she could protest, he pressed his teeth to her lips. She was hesitant at first, he added more pressure, and eventually her lips added the slightest bit of pressure to his teeth. His hands trailed down her sides, and to her hips, squeezing the soft flesh there. It gave away so easily, allowing him to bruise her skin, marking her as his.

"i'm gonna fuck you." He rasped out, tearing off her shorts and throwing them across the room. "this whole town is gonna know you're mine."

"Sans, I'm married-!"

"you're _my_ mate." He spat, and spread her legs, showing off her cunt. "look at you." He speared a finger into her cunt, and felt his smile grow. "you're soaking wet. you want me to fuck you? i bet you wanted me to notice you earlier? bend you over and fuck this tight pussy." She looked away, biting her swollen lip, her fingers curling into the sheets. "that face ain't leaving much to the imagination, treat."

He slipped his phalanges out of her cunt, and summoned his tongue. It wrapped around the digits, and he shut his sockets. She tasted good, better than most monsters he'd fucked. "Please don't do this."

He licked his fingers clean, before pulling down the front of his shorts, his cock springing free of the tight confines. He grabbed her hips, and dragged her towards him setting her legs on his shoulders. He titled his head to the side,and licked her calf, causing a shudder to run through her. God she tasted good, but he needed more. He turned his head to the side and pressed his teeth to her skin. He could feel her skin give away to his teeth, until blood filled his mouth, and spilled down his bones. Instead of screaming like he thought she would,the human only moaned, her back arching under the pain. 

He carefully removed his teeth from her muscles and skin, and licked his teeth clean. "is my treat a pain slut?"

"Y-yes..."

He chuckled. "well aren't you lucky. i like doling out pain."

Without warning he shoved himself into her cunt, and she gasped, her hands curling deeper into his sheets. Fuck, she was tight, almost like a virgin. Clearly her husband hadn't been using her right if she felt this good. With a growl he pulled himself out, and shoved himself back inside, earning another loud moan. He rocked back and forth into her body, shoving himself as deep into her pussy as possible. His fingers curled deeper into her skin, drawing more blood, earning a gasp of his name from her lips. He growled and gave a deep thrust inside her. "again. say it again."

"Sans!"

"fuck." He bowed his head and plowed into her. "i'm gonna cum, treat."

"Not inside me, please!"

He ignored her and pressed himself as deep as he could, his cum spurting into her body. He hissed and pressed his skull against her stomach, his bones rattling. The human was still murmuring his name, her fingers tracing over his skull, her blood staining him. 

When he sat up, he was staring at the ceiling, and he couldn't smell the human's blood. He blinked several times, as his fingers curled into the mattress.

Of course. 

It was only a wet dream. 

He sighed and actually sat up in bed, his cock bobbing. Good thing the human wasn't up, she'd ask too many questions. He pulled up his shorts and gathered his magic back into himself. His magic reacting that way to a wet dream was an utter waste. He reached down and grabbed a clean-ish shirt, and pulled it on, before looking around for his jacket. It was sitting on top of the human, who was sleeping on the bed by his feet. He reached for it, just to pause. All over her exposed stomach was a blue liquid that was the same shade of blue as his magic. 

"shit."

She was covered in his cum.

Of fucking course. 

He growled and crawled over to her. She was covered in his cum, she was properly marked as his. He pressed his phalanges to her stomach, and spread the magic around. He needed to dye her in it. Without a second thought he pulled his shorts down, summoned his magic, and formed a dick. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, there's your sex scene...Kinda. It was a dream, which is why it was so mediocre. I figure Sans wouldn't really know how she would feel or react to sex, so of course it's not a 'complete' sex scene. 
> 
> As for what happened next...Well, I'm gonna leave it for your imagination. Hopefully it's very vivid. 
> 
> Know what isn't vivid? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	28. Snapping the String

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three steps back and a relationship on fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: None
> 
> Whisper named the chapter.

You felt cold and vaguely slimy. It was the kind of feeling you felt when you spilled egg whites on your clothes. You cracked open an eye, just to squeal and almost fall off the bed. Sans was close to your face, his clothes off, and fingers coated in something dark blue. You groaned and wiped at your eyes, just for something hard and caked on to scrape away. You turned your hand over, and found it covered in dark blue flecks. You wiped your hands against your shirt, just to find it stained with something a dark blue as well. You glanced back to his fingers, then to your clothes,your nose wrinkling. 

You grabbed the nearest pillow, and smacked his skull. He grunted a d cracked open a socket, but otherwise didn't move. "the fuck's your problem?"

You gestured to your stained shirt and sticky body. "What did you do?"

His eye glanced over your body, before his socket was shut again in dismissal. "ok."

"Ok-Sans!" You slammed the pillow on his head again, but he didn't open his eyes. "I'm covered in muck, and I don't even..."

Your eyes trailed down to his fingers again, your eyes widening. The color was darker, but you remembered only one liquid coming from the skeleton. You dropped the pillow, your hand going up to your mouth, and your stomach squirming as the thought hit you square in the chest. There was no way he jerked off on you, right? Wouldn't you had heard that? Then again you had become used to hearing the bed creak and moan from how often Sans moved around. He was a wild sleeper, taking up one end of the bed, then moving to another position after awhile. You had learned to block all that out in the name of a good night's sleep. 

You twisted around in his lap, effectively straddling him. His eye narrowed in his socket, but his smile remained. You were so close to him now, you could see scratches and knicks in his face. There was also a pupil within his eye, it was was as a pin prick, and black. You hadn't noticed it until now. You could also see a residue of something red on his teeth, not as bad as Papyrus, but it was there. 

"Sans, how did you put magic on me?"

* * *

Flowey stared up at the sun, his leaves unfurled and petals waving in the cool breeze. Every so often he had to come back to this place to eat. Just like a real flower, he had to get sustenance from the sun, water, and soil. It wasn't a beloved ritual, but it was occasionally profitable. If he hadn't come over here, then he wouldn't have found Frisk. Then there was the human from last time, granted Toriel got to her, but things worked out in the end. 

Hundreds of resets, thousands of timelines, and enough hindsight to benefit even the stupidest of people; Flowey had learned that everything could turn out alright in the end. Even if the current human couldn't tap into the reset cycle, another human would come. One with enough determination to do so, and get them out of this mess. 

As it stood, the human Sans had bonded to didn't posses a high enough concentration of it, leaving him in control of the resets. He was aware that the human didn't have a determination focused soul, but some souls still had enough for them to overtake him. His thoughts turned to a boy with blue eyes, freckles, and a yellow soul. He hadn't lasted all too long, just a few months. But he had managed to tap into the resets. Granted he only did it once, but it was more than enough proof for Flowey. With a little guidance and determination, everything would turn out okay. 

"Isn't that right, Chara?" 

He sighed and pushed himself underground. The loss of warmth made him shudder, and it became outright shuddering as he pushed through dirt that became mud and ice. His roots filled in the spaces, and pushed the dirt out of his way, creating a tunnel for him to burrow through. In the places it was solid ice, Flowey popped up through the snow, and would back track enough so he could keep propelling himself forward. It was hard work, and he begrudgingly missed the human. She wasn't the brightest tool in the shed, but she could carry him over long distances. 

 "You fucking asshole!" Flowey paused, head twisting around. He was close to the trash bag's station. He could see the human so ting on his lap, her back stiff and shoulders shaking. "You're so-"

Sans grabbed her wrists and slammed her onto the table. For someone who was so small, he managed to loom over the human. Flowery couldn't hear what he was saying,but he wasn't too worried. Being her soul mate, Sans wasn't bound to hurt her too much. Not only that, but it was clear he was in heat, if that smell was anything to go by. From the looks of it, he hadn't taken it out on the human. 

Which was odd, actually. He knew Sans didn't like being in heat, and would pay for someone to deal with it. Even in this screwed up timeline, he had no problems fucking Shyren to get rid of it. The human must be the one resisting then, probably worried about pregnancy or something. She must not have realized how calmed down he would be if she just let him use her. Then again,he didn't blame her, the trash bag was a weirdo. Who wanted to be called a father during sex? 

He sighed and slipped under the ground again. Oh well, she would figure it out eventually, or die trying. 

* * *

You stared up at Sans, eyes narrowed, and teeth grinding against each other.

The bastard had used you. 

He had covered you in his cum while you were asleep. That was the grime you kept rubbing off. You kicked your legs out, but he pinned them to the wood, his smile still on his face. If you wouldn't break your hand against it, you'd punch his face. What he did was disgusting, far more than stealing your underwear. What in the hell made him think it was okay to do? "You need to calm down-"

"No!" You tried to yank your hands away again, but his grip tightened, the bones biting into your skin. "You're disgusting. You just cum all over my face like it's normal, steal my underwear-"

"what?"

"Don't act coy, I saw you, Sans." You spat. "Out in the shed yesterday, you were jacking off with my bloody underwear to your face. Like-like some horny teenager." 

"so that's what paps-"

"Don't change the subject!" His gaze locked with yours again, but you felt he was patronizing you. The melody in your head was the same as ever, but you were almost sure he was making fun of you in his head. "I don't care what we are, that you're suddenly attracted to me, or anything! I want you to let go of me so I can go home. Back to my family, the surface, my husband."

The words hardly escaped your lips before he growled. It was a deep sound that reverberated through his chest, and rattled his bones. He grabbed your wrists with one hand, while he unfurled your hand with the other, spreading your fingers apart and popping some in the process. With a jerk he took your ring, eliciting a yelp that became a full fledged scream when he threw it into the cluster of trees opposite the path. You craned your neck, trying to see a glint of metal despite watching upside down. However there was nothing, just falling snow and waving branches scraping against the ground. You swallowed hard, your body becoming stiff, and the cold burning through you. 

That was the only thing left you had of your old life, and he just...

You screamed and brought your head up, smashing it against the skeleton's. Pain exploded in your skull, but you kept pushing forward, causing the skeleton to loosen his hold on you. Without prompting you pushed him off and scrambled away from him, almost slipping into the snow. Anger, hate, and something hot and metallic burnt your tongue and forced you to keep moving, despite the pain ringing in your skull and the short breaths that almost choked you. You wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come, only a harsh stinging that wouldn't subside. 

Everything hurt so much, you felt like you were breaking. You hardly noticed passing by Papyrus, or another monster he was talking to. You heard him call that damn title, but it went one ear and out the other as you made your way to the town. You had just entered it when your legs gave out on you, your speed becoming nothing, and the burning in your legs catching up. Instead of stopping, or even going into the house, you continued to trudge forward. You were going to Waterfall, with or without Flowey, and making your way to the next area. Hotland, if you remembered rightly. 

There was no reason to keep waiting. Sans had proven that this wasn't a safe place anymore. If you needed food, you could always just dig around in a trash bin, then keep it over a fire to kill most of the bacteria. There was 'non-human' food around here, Sans fed it to you when he could. Even if it was something as simple as crackers, it would be better than nothing. If you pressed forward, and kept an eye out for anything edible, then you would be able to trudge through the Underground and make it out. You needed to be brave, because no one else was going to do it for you. 

You were truly alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, everything came to a head and just snapped. It shouldn't be a surprise that Treat isn't happy about what happened, though it is all Sans's fault...Or is it? Also, writing from Flowey's POV is hard. 
> 
> Know what isn't hard? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	29. Between Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Underground was not kind. Your memories of it, along with the people you met there. However, they all must be dealt with and a decision made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> This is the final chapter. Wonder what's gonna happen.

Sans clutched his skull, the inside squirming and gushing a black liquid that threatened to get in his sockets. Every movement sparked pain, and he knew that his hole was split further apart. He had to admit, he didn't expect the human to react that way. Maybe some anger, definitely the screaming, but full on violence wasn't on the menu. And here he was, standing with his wound leaking, and his eye threatening to faze out completely. Colors swirled and faded in and out, all he could really see were bulky shapes and outlines. He needed to eat something, bring his wounds to a less painful level and get the human back.  

He pushed himself off the sentry station, and slowly made his way back to town. Maybe taking the human's bond ring or whatever wasn't the best way to go about doing things. But the constant acknowledgment of another male over himself made his magic burn, and his instincts flare. She was covered in his magic, wore his clothes, and slept in his bed. She should have acknowledged that she was his. A fleeting moment of logic said that, with her desire to go home and loyalty to her husband, she wasn't going to be able to accept him. But logic was far gone out the window right now. He wanted to pin her under him, fill her so full of his magic that it bled through ever pore, then watch as she slowly made herself ready to hold their child. 

He growled and shook his head, more black gunk hitting the snow, causing steam to rise from it as the liquid ate through the snow and dirt. He couldn't wait for his heat to end, just two more days and he'd be fully functional. He'd find the human, make it up to hef somehow, and get her to be less unruly. He could hear her soul frequency, it waistband pulsing, threatening to become nothing but noise. She was full on panicking, and would hurt herself if she wasn't paying attention. No doubt anyone could pick up on her soul frequency, and realize she was human. She was practically a calling card for all things food at this point. 

"SANS!" The skeleton paused, a d waited for his brother. He could see bulky shapes now, and colors were starting to solidify. "I SAW SISTER RUN OFF, DID YOU NEED HER FOR SOMETHING?"

"we uh," Good lies were always rooted in truth. "got in a fight."

Papyrus gasped, and Sans jerked as he was pulled yup in an embrace. "YOUR FIRST REAL FIGHT, AND IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR HEAT TOO. WORRY NOT, BROTHER! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL MAKE THINGS BETTER BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU. NOTHING SAYS REGRET AND DEVOTION LIKE FOOD AND ABYSMAL MOVIES ONLY YOU AND THE HUMAN SEEMS TO ENJOY."

"heh, you're right, bro."

"OF COURSE I AM." Papyrus set him down in the snow. "I SHALL GET EVERYTHING READY, AND YOU GO BRING BACK YOUT SOUL MATE."

"ok."

* * *

You jumped from the blast flower, on to the opposite bank. You knees hit the ground with a thud, a d your fingers popped when they splayed out to brace you, and keep you from hitting the mud face first. Behind you, the flowers waved and twitched, trying to find their escaped meal. According to Flowey, those flowers thrived with magic, but became hostile when they were magic deprived. When they attacked monsters, they tended to suck the magic right out of them. Even when dead, their hundreds of seeds could lodge themselves within a monster, and grow inside them. It was dangerous to eat them, and equally dangerous to use them as a bridge. You were hoping that kept Sans at bay for a little while. 

You pushed yourself up, and began trudging forward. Truthfully, you had never gotten this far. You always fell into the water, or just couldn't get past the tentacles. You were happy now, almost giddy getting past something that was so hard for you to get past. it was like winning a hard fought level in a video game. The same feeling of accomplishment and excitement lit up your head. 

Now to keep up the momentum.

The new room that was entered had a few monsters milling around, cutting tall grass with scythes, and by doing them up to be put in large cloth bags. A few of them glanced up to look at you, but otherwise didn't come near. You brought your scarf up higher, hoping to obscure more of your face. With your body wet, your clothes were clinging to you instead of hanging off of you and making you anonymous. It would take one long stare for anyone to realize that you were human. Thankfully a giant bird like monster walked in front of the other four monsters, obscuring their view of you. 

You the room with ease, and began moving into another corridor. This one was darker than the others, with no lights or mushrooms strung along the high ceiling. Instead there was crystals, most of them larger than your fist, and a pulsing blue. They were almost the same shade of the flowers that grew staggeringly along the rock floors of the cavern. You paused as you spotted something covered in dust and rust. There were words engraved in it, and they glowed a faint green. You pressed a gloved hand against it, and swiped a hand across. It was a language that looked more like ocean waves than anything. 

You couldn't read it. 

"Make a wish."

You froze, your heart beating fast. The words were so close to you, you could practically feel a breath along the back of your neck. "Hello?"

"I wish I was dead."

"Please kill me."

"I want to die."

There were no monsters around here, just the flowers and dust. You crept closer to the patch of flowers, and leaned closer. "Hello?"

"Hello?"

You jerked back, eyes wide. It repeated back what you said, like some kind of magic recorder. But then...Did that mean? You stared down at the dust, a burnt gray that looked far too bright to be 'normal' dust. 

"Hello?"

"I wish I was dead."

"Please kill me."

You backed away from the spot, rubbing your glove against your sweats, mouth open. Someone died here, someone that wanted to die. You had taken it for granted that Sans was rather blase about things, and Papyrus was always happy. Even the patrons at the bar, while weary, didn't seem all that down. Outside of that though,ho much worse could it really be down here? Could you even...You swallowed hard and shook the thought out of your head, forcing yourself to move forward, just to bump into some. The air was forced out of your lungs, and you fell onto your butt.The monster turned around, and stared down at you, crooked smile on its face. "Now what do we have here?" 

* * *

Sans checked the house first.

Out of all the places, it was the most obvious. While Papyrus banged pots and pans around in the kitchen, he scoured his room, then his brother's. However both were the same since that morning, if not a little colder than before. The skeleton ambled downstairs, and out the door again. So it looked like she was really going through with it. She had admitted to running of to Waterfall on her own before, but he didn't think she was stupid enough to do it when he would obviously be looking for her. 

He made his way through the town, snow beginning to fall, and the wind picking up. If things got too bad here, then Snowdin would be cut off until the snow cleared up enough to travel. It'd happened a few times, mostly when the lab used to...

Do something.

He sighed and scratched at his skull again, the black liquid leaking down his fingers. Looks like it was just another detail he couldn't remember, of course. And just like a good chunk of the things he forgot, this one was probably important in some way. Oh well, if Snowdin did manage to get blocked off, he could always call on a favor. After all, that's what friends were for, right?

* * *

 "Sit down, make yourself comfortable." The old turtle, Gerson you reminded yourself, said.  "Do you drink tea? Got plenty." 

He had led you into a small room,a shop he claimed,Florida that was built inside a cave. It was filled with all manner of knick knacks. From video tapes stacked in a haphazard tower, to a cracked snowglobe that had an angel trapped inside. In the corner was a hammock, some blankets piled on top, and a giant map pinned to the wall. It wasn't like anything you saw before, so you figured it was for the Underground. 

A sharp poke in your side, and you whirled around to stare at the monster. He shook a dark brown box that was made of wood, and said tea in a fancy font with small flowers etched on the sides."Tea?"

"..."

"Don't worry, it's just water and plants. Not any of your kind."

"My-"

"You're human." The old turtle put a dented kettle on the stove, and turned on the eye with a click. "It's pretty obvious, well to anyone that interacted with one of you alive."

"H-how?"

Gerson let out a laugh,a high pitched noise that could grate your nerves if it got any higher. "Now don't you worry about that. I'm not gonna kill you or anything, if that's what you think." He turned back to you, and tilted his head to the side. "You're Sans's mate, right?" You gave a hesitant nod. "Thought so. You smell just like him. Now why would he let his very tasty human run around by herself?"

"..."

"Oh, ran away?"

"I never said-"

"Didn't have to. I can tell just by listening to that very informative silence " The kettle gave a shrill whistle, and Gerson used an old shirt to get it off the eye, filled two mugs with the water. He set the kettle back down, and plucked up the box. He muttered to himself for a moment, before dropping a tea bag into each mug. He stirred each one with a fork, before passing you a mug. You took it in your hands, the dust smudging the edges and contrasting heavily with the bright blue. "That's rosemary-echo flower blend. Should help with those nerves, among other things."

 You better brought a hand up and lowered your scarf. If he could tell you were human without looking at your face, there was no reason to keep hiding it and waste this tea. It was probably the last thing that you would have in your stomach for awhile. You took a sip,and an earthy taste with a citrus twang coated your taste buds. "It's good."

The monster chuckled a bit as he swallowed most of his in one gulp. "A friend got me into teas when she was a little thing. Different to those other tripes. She didn't indulge in sugar crystal drinks. Good kid, if not a bit cocky."

"Your daughter?"

"Oh no." He shook his head. "My wife and daughters died a long time ago. Though, she may as well have been."

"..."

He gave a low chuckle and set his mug on a three legged stool next to his own stool. "Well, I'm not here to give an old man speech. I bothered to bring you inside so you can rest, then be on your merry way. I'm sure Sans is worried."

"I'm not going back."

"And why not?"

"Because I don't belong here!" You gripped your mug tighter. "I fell down here, and now I'm caught up in this mess. Sans is disgusting, I'm starving, and I know my family misses me. I can't just stay here."

"Is that all?"

"Excuse me?"

Gerson gestured to the door. "Every monster out there is starving, no one in this place is completely sane, as for your family on the surface..." He shrugged. "Well, they'll get used to you being gone soon enough " 

You guzzled down the rest of your tea and stood up, handing over the mug. "Thanks for the tea, but I'm not going back to him."

You began to walk back to the door, pulling your scarf up as you did. "Well, ain't that a shame. Looks like you really wanna die then."

"What?"

Gerson put both the mugs in a white bucket. "Well, that little soul you're attached to? It's likely going crazy trying to find you right now. So let's say you leave entirely, then you're in for some pain. Because even if you left, your soul will always call out for him, and he will always search for you. It will be a vicious cycle that will likely kill him, then leave you crippled. Trust me."

"..."

"Have you tried talking to each other?" He asked. "You both aren't the first accidental bond in the world. You'd be surprised what talking will do."

"I'm not going back." 

"That's your choice. I'm not the one that has to live with it." He plucked up some sharp looking crystals, and handed you two of them. One was a line green, the other was a pastel blue. He put them in a plastic bag and handed it to you. "Best thing I've got for food. Sugar crystals. Lick, don't bite." 

You took them from him, and deposited in the deep pockets. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

* * *

The break you had with Gerson had done wonders for you. Walking wasn't too bad now, even if water kept soaking through your shoes and socks, and your coat snagged on the many stalagmites that jutted up from the ground. More than once you almost fell face first thanks to them. But you really couldn't bring yourself to complain. Sans hadn't caught you yet, and your stomach was full and warm. You could really get used to magic tea, it left a deep warmth in your stomach, and a sweet taste in your mouth that was reinvigorated every time you so much as thought about the taste. 

Honestly, now that you thought about it,the tea was the only good thing to come out of the Underground. Nothing else had been good, and only served to hurt you. Papyrus, as nice as he was to hang out with, was constantly used as some kind of guilt tool. Sans was just a monster in every sense of the word. There was the occasional burgers, but that was usually tainted by something Sans did. So yes, outside of the irritating conversation, the tea was the highlight of your entire stay. 

You stopped in front of a split in the cavern. The path had two different exits, both of them dark and dreary. You popped your ring finger, the loss of metal only hardening your resolve. You continued on the right path, but the darkness persisted as you walked down the path. You extended your hands, as if ready to push back against anything that obstructed the way. However, you could still hear things. The groaning of the stones above your head, the dreary whispers of the flowers, and your own heavy breathing. 

You hissed when your hands smacked against a jagged wall. You drew back your hands and propelled yourself backwards a few steps as a faint blue glow filled the area. Upon further inspection, you saw that it came from a tiny mushroom. You knelt down and tapped it, shutting off the light. You hummed and tapped it again, turning the light back on. Well this certainly looked like it came out of some kind of fairytale. 

You stood back up, and began making your way down the path. Now that it was lit up, you were pretty proud of yourself. You hadn't tripped up too badly. Finding that wall was probably the worst thing to happen to you. You headed back to the crystal cavern, seeing that the other path was probably correct. You paused when you saw a preying mantis creature standing in the path, next to an echo flower. 

There were  bright red and yellow striped bows tied to its antennas, and it's wings shifted. It lifted its head as you walked past, and you felt it's gaze on you. "You...Please, would you help me?" You continued walking, but you heard stone scratch against stone, and heavy footsteps follow behind you. "I'm so hungry. I smell food, please gimme some."

You had heard Sans, Gerson, and just about every other monster say that everyone was perpetually hungry. There were no exceptions to this rule. On top of that, this monster was smelling you, not anything else. You could stop and give her a piece of the sugar crystal,  it you also needed it. Would you be a monster if you turned her away? Maybe that was why the monster in the echo flowers had asked to die. If the monster killed itself today, wouldn't that be your fault?

You stopped, and turned around. The monster was only a few inches from you, her mouth in a grim line. You dipped a hand in your pocket, and extracted the sugar crystals. Her antennas began to vibrate as you opened the bag, and held out the green one. She extended a claw,but yabked you forward. You let out a scream, but it was muffled by a claw slamming over your scarf covered mouth. "Quiet little monster, or I'll have to hurt you. My momma is so hungry, she'll be excited to see you."

She began dragging you backwards, keeping your feet off the ground, and her claws clamped to your body. You were thankful for the many layers of clothes you had to wear. If you didn't, she would have pierced your skin by now. You kicked your legs and wriggled, but it only succeed in her constricting her grip on you. "Small monster please stop!"

She hissed as she bumped into a wall, your head smacked aghast the edge pain igniting in your head once again. However, you could feel something warm trickling down your face now. The mantis paused, and leaned over you. "Small monster isn't a monster?"

"..."

The curious expression fell away into a full blown smile. She dropped you onto the ground, a d raised her claws. "Small monster is small human! Small human can feed momma!" A dark red glow swirled in her claws, before they became twinge as long. You rolled away as she brought them down, slamming them into the stone. "Wait!"

You scrambled up and began to run, but screamed when you felt something warm and sharp hit your back, and lurched you forward. You fell face first, a wet smack filled the cavern, and pain erupted in your nose. You struggled to breathe, but it was impossible through your nose. Something heavy and hard slammed you back into the floor. "Please-"

"Humans are gonna make momma happy. She won't fall down if you come home with me, right? Of course I'm right! Mana is top of her class!"

"good for you kid." Your heart leaped when you heard the familiar shuffling gait. "but uh, you've got something that belongs to me."

You felt the thing in your back press harder. "Go away! Mana-"

"mana isn't a little kid. everyone knows you've got...problems, but i won't hesitate to kill you if you don't get off my mate."

"No, she's mine!"

You heard a deep humming before there was a flood of red light. With ease Sans blocked each glowing crescent with his axe. All the while his expression remained the same: a wide smile. He rushed forward, and swing his axe, the monster shrieked and backed away. Feeling the weight off your back, your rolled out of the way. The mantis swiped her claws, but Sans blocked each one with ease. You had never seen the monster move so quickly, you always assumed he just couldn't move faster than a speed walk, but that was clearly not the case. 

Your eyes widened when he backed the monster into the corner. Her eyes widened and she whimpered, cowering away from him."Please don't hurt, Mana. She just wants to help Momma."

"we all wanna help someone."

You shut your eyes, and dust flitted across your tongue. 

* * *

Sans yanked open the door to the house, and pulled the human inside. Blood was splattered along her clothes, and she smelled so much like herself he could practically see her body through her clothes. He slammed the door shut, catching his brother's attention. "SANS, SISTER, YOU'RE HOME!"

"i gotta take care of something paps. we'll be down in a minute."

He could practically hear the smile in his brother's voice. "DON'T WORRY BROTHER, IT TAKES AGES FOR WATER TO BOIL. TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED."

He hauled the human up the stairs, and kicked his door open, and through her inside. She yelped, as she bounced onto the mattress, but he ignored her in favor of yanking her up and ripping off her scarf. Her face was matted with blood, dirt, tears, and dust. He leaned in and close, inhaling her natural scent that comingled with Mana's. He growled and began licking at her face, removing the stains of the day. 

She squeaked and pushed him away, a glare screwed to her face. "What the hell!"

"calm down, i'm cleaning you up."

"No, you're licking me." She said. "You're being a creepy as hell pervert. It's bad enough you brought me back here, I don't want you touching me."

"says the person that almost died."

"..."

"you're welcome."

He leaned forward and began licking at her face again. She stayed still this time, her fingers curled into her pants, and eyes shut. Her soul frequency was slow and quiet, it reminded him of when she slept, but it was too tight for that. He tilted her head up and pressed his tongue against her jaw, getting a swipe of blood off of her. When her face was cleaned, he sat back on the balls of his feet, and examined her face. There was bags under her eyes, and her mouth was set in a hard line. She was tired, and sick to death's him, she'd stressed that enough. That's why she ran away, he had crossed a line. 

But he couldn't let her leave either. 

Maybe it was his heat talking, but he didn't want her gone. They were still linked together, they had to work together until he could break it. They couldn't keep going through this, especially when he was in this condition. Right now he wanted to throw her against a wall and punish her for leaving him, it was only the pain still in his skull that was keeping him grounded. "look, treat. we can't keep doing this. you're gonna get yourself killed, and i'm gonna break you if we don't."

"Then let me go."

"if i could, i'd take you straight to the barrier." He said. "you're just gonna need a boss monster soul."

"So I need to lead a monster to the barrier or..."

"The barrier was made by seven human mages. in turn, we need seven human souls to get out. but, if you fuse a boss monster soul with a humans, you get a similar effect. one person can cross the barrier."

"So I need to have a soul bond with a boss monster?"

"nah, nothing that complicated."

"Then what?"

"kill them." Her eyes widened, and she began to twist her fingers. "yeah, figured you wouldn't be too keen on that. The boss monsters are a dying breed through. me, paps, gerson, undyne. that's about it, last i checked. if you survive absorbing the soul, you just walk on through."

He watched her chest expand, then deflate, her lips parting a bit. Her soul frequency was all over the place, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking anymore. However he was almost positive she wouldn't go through on a killing spree. Instead of axing him, she had threatened him. She also came back to help Papyrus, even though she could have been long gone, maybe even reached Hotland on her own. She was capable of putting up a fight if she really wanted to, she had proven that twice today. If she was just a little more determined, things could have been pretty different. 

For reasons unknown, he felt his soul shudder. It rubbed at his chest, his attention back on the human. She must have thought of something that terrified her. 

"I don't think I can kill anyone, Sans." Her voice was low. "I wouldn't even have been in that mess if I ignored her, she was asking for food and I felt guilty...I heard flowers, and they had recorded someone wishing they could die. I thought that if I didn't give her food..."

"didn't i tell you everyone's hungry? one meal isn't gonna change anything." He said. "mana was insane. her mom fell down when this first got started, after her husband got dusted. mana never got adjusted to being alone."

It doesn't matter. If she died, I would have felt responsible."

"and that would drag your LV up." He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "don't worry about that. you need to decide what you're gonna do right now. you wanna leave, be my guest. i won't go after you. but if you stay, we work this out."

She pressed her fingers gets together, flinched, and put them back down. Her chest expanded again and she shook her head, a breathy noise escaping her. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"not anymore."

_**End of Arc One** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completed this arc before New Years! Yes! Okay, so this is the final chapter of the first arc. Our lovely main character and Sans have finally talked and reached some form of an understanding. What will their future hold for them now? Well, sex, but you guys already knew that. 
> 
> Know what doesn't involve sex? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com
> 
> Happy New Years!


	30. Act II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have to live with your decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore Level: Low
> 
> I'm so glad you all enjoyed that finale. Hopefully ya'll will enjoy the new arc just as much.

Sans rolled over in the bed, his skull unsupported. Unsurprisingly he was on the other side of the bed, the blankets tossed off, and his shirt around his ribs. He groaned and pushed himself up, his eye glancing over to the human. She was wrapped up in her blanket, eyes still shut, and knees to her chest. He wondered if he should get her a cat bed, she sure as hell slept like one. The thought did little to distract him from his problem though, and he dragged a hand into his pocket and sifted through the lint and junk until he brushed against something soft. He pulled it out and felt his magic spark in his bones. 

The panties were rather plain. Just gray with white lace along the hem, all of it covered with splotchy, red stains. He glanced up again, but didn't see any signs of the human awakening. Her soul frequency was also rather stable. As long as he was quiet, he could rub out a quick one, and go on his merry way. He shoved his shorts down, and released his cock. His fingers gripped the base and he began to work his hand upward as he brought the cloth to his nasal cavity. It smelled like her, even though it had been awhile. It was like opening up a can of nutmeg and cloves, with that bloody overtone that made his magic cum to life. 

He had to stifle the snort he made from his own joke, his laughter becoming a groan when his thumb rounded his tip. Fuck, he didn't even know why he was doing this. His heat had ended three days ago, he should have stopped the wet dreams and need to rut. Yet it still plagued him, the desire to bend the human over his bed and fuck her senseless not stopping. It didn't help to hear her bones pop when she sat up, or for her to wear his clothes. Things she couldn't control, but still made his life harder. Just about as hard as his-

"fuck." He tugged a bit harder, his magic burning hotter. "dammit treat."

He felt his tongue manifest in his mouth, and he opened his jaws just enough for the appendage to slip through. It laved at the stains, the old taste of her blood still lingered. It was faint, almost gone, he couldn't wait for her bleeding to happen again. The thought of her spread out on his bed, her pussy bleeding, and her calling his name caused him to moan, and a jet of cum to hit his t-shirt with a splat. He let the next two hit him as well, before he dismissed his cock and pulled up his shorts. He pulled the t-shirt over his head and cast it aside. Sans didn't have much pride or dignity, but he wasn't about to walk around in a cum stained shirt. 

Taking the convenience, he leaned across the bed and snatched up his jacket. Some rifling helped him find his smashed carton of cigarettes and his lighter. He lit on up and put it between his teeth. The human twitched as the smoke began to curl through the room, and her soul frequency picked up to a normal speed. She groaned and cracked open an eye. "what time is it?"

He glanced over to the digital clock sitting on a few precariously stacked books. It was a new edition to the room, a gift from Papyrus. " 'bout five in the morning."

She groaned again and sat up, her shirt sliding low on her chest,and spine popping. She was lucky he already took care of himself, that would have earned more than a shudder. "Too early."

"might as well stay up. paps'll be banging on the door soon."

She sighed, but didn't fight him, a recurrence over the last few days. When He said that they would have to work things out, he had been honest. Finding her pinned under another monster, her soul frequency a cacophony of noise, had sent him into a panic. He was lucky Gerson pointed him in the right direction, or she would have died. And even if she did die, and somehow Mana hadn't taken notice of the soul, Sans would have been screwed. It was in his best interest to treat her better, or at least try to make her see his side of things. 

His thoughts were interrupted as Papyrus banged on the door, shouting for the two of them to wake up. "just like clockwork."

* * *

You followed behind Sans as you walked through the town. Since it had become known that you not only existed, but was also Sans's mate, he took you through the town more often. You were sure it was just for show, that way questions wouldn't start going around, but it didn't make you less on edge. You stayed close as he went to the bar to get you and him some lunch before going to the sentry station. The monsters didn't seem to notice you much if you kept silent and let Sans ramble on with his dark humor and laid back personality. Everyone seemed charmed by it, or at least willing to tolerate it for awhile. 

You leaned against the bar, watching a couple of dogs playing cards. There was that dog that verified you were from Waterfall, and a dog was in a complete suit of armor. You didn't see any money getting passed around, but you were they weren't playing goldfish or war either. Honestly, it reminded you of an old painting in your father's basement. Except the dogs were playing poker or something like that. 

You flinched when you felt a sharp jab in your shoulder. You glanced months side, and saw that Sans had a greasy bag in his hand. "ready?"

You nodded and followed him back out into the cold. You stuffed your hands back into the jacket pockets, and nuzzled your face deeper into your scarf. The laid back aura that Sans had used seemed to dissipate the further from the bar you got, easing back into his 'creepy' vibe that was far too laidback, and just threatening enough that it set you back on edge. Sans hadn't done anything especially creepy recently. After 'cleaning' you, he left you alone. When you changed your clothes, he had even turned to face the opposite wall. He still insisted you slept in his room, wear his clothes, and sit on his lap at dinner; but he didn't go out of his way to touch you anymore.

You guessed it had something to do with their current truce. Well, it was more than a truce, really. You had promised not to run off anymore. Really, there wasn't even a reason to go run off anyway. If what Sans said was true, then he would have to murder someone to get to the other side of the barrier. You couldn't just kill Sans because that would hurt you in the process, and you didn't have it in you to hurt Papyrus. Gerson was rather old, so maybe if you waited around long enough, you could take his soul. Then there was Undyne...She was the one that hurt Papyrus, and was queen of the Underground. You doubted you could take her on and win. 

Sans stopped at his sentry station and sat down. You took your usual place on the ground next to him, leaning your head against the rough wood. Sitting around the sentry station was probably your least favorite past time. Outside of how boring it was, there was a tension in the air now that you and Sans were ' on the same page'. Without Papyrus around, or your exhaustion of the day weighing you down, there was nothing to distract the two of you from each other. You spent so much time together on a daily basis, but not only did you know nothing about each other, but your deep seated dislike for the monster wasn't going to disappear over night. He had done so many things to you, most of them horrible. It would be insane to think you would accept him after only a few days.

But then who else were you going to accept? You were stuck down here with no way to make it to the surface. If your husband had figured out where you were, then he would be just as stuck as you were, and didn't have the advantage of a soul mate. You also doubted Sans would let him live, if him getting pissy at Devilin smelling you was anything to go by. There was also the fact that, even if he survived Sans and the other monsters, he probably would starve to death. Javier was terrible at cooking with a fully stocked kitchen, finding scraps would probably be near impossible, even with all his fancy magic. 

You sighed and stared up at the ceiling, watching the snow fall from the ice crusts stuck to the rocks. There really was no point to all of this. You were now stuck with the person you hated most, and there was no way out. It was a sick joke, something the devil himself would orchestrate. You either had to accept Sans and his...whatever it was, or you had to kill someone and hope you could make it all the way to the barrier. Both were almost Herculean tasks that would take all the determination in the world.

Determination you really just didn't have right now.

You were content sitting there, just dwelling in the tension laden middle ground you found yourself in. Not riling up the beast of a monster you lived with, but not straying from him either. You let out a sigh, and readjusted yourself in the snow, bumping Sans's leg with your own by accident. He cracked open his eye socket and glanced down at you. He shifted away the slightest inch, giving you more room, before burrying his head back into his folded arms. You noticed he left his sockets open though, and there was a slight tremor in his song. 

You opened your mouth, and a hand slammed over it, bruising the sensitive skin. He didn't bother to look down at you, or respond to your fingers clawing at his bones. You struggling came to a halt, when you heard feet crunching against snow. You could smell something earthy with a smoky tinge in the air. Sans shifted in his seat, and the crunching stopped. "Wha-Oh, it's just you, Sans. Working on time for once?"

"yup, paps would have my ass if i didn't."

"Someone's gotta look after your lazy hide." You heard shuffling and the sound of someone blowing. "Hey, you want some extra work?"

"what's the cut?"

"I'll give you all the organs."

"this one got tangled in the traps?"

"Ain't you smart."

"you're always cheating people, doggo."

A rough laugh escaped the person in question, sounding more like a cough than a laugh. "Just playing by the rules. Come around after your shift ends, I'll even get the Missus to can your stuff." You heard snow crunching again. "Oh, and bring your mate. Nice to smell a new scent."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A boring chapter, but it shows how not much has changed, yet it has. Sans is closer to Treat, while she just feels lost. And Doggo finally showed up. I actually love that guy, he's not shown enough in fanfics. 
> 
> Know what is shown enough? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com


	31. Sticky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You prepare for your night with Doggo and his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got some fan art for Treat and Sans by plsdontkinkshameme! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/tagged/Holy-shit-it%27s-awesome
> 
> Yes, I tagged it strange. Please forgive me. XD

There was no real way for this to go well. You knew that the minute it was even brought up, that it was likely to fail, and you would be a bloody spot on someone's floor, and a meal in someone's belly. You flexed your fingers, careful not to allow them to pop, as you followed behind Sans on your lunch break. Well, more his lunch break, there was no food for you right now. Speaking of food, that was the main thing motivating Sans in this endeavor. The monster had promised Sans the organs, which meant that there would be some food for him and Papyrus to eat without going to their actual rations. No doubt Sans would hand over all of it to Papyrus, in hopes that it would allow the skeleton to regrow his arm.  All of the risk involved was for a good cause, not so he could goof off and potentially get you killed in the process. But that didn't explain how the two of you would manage to pull it off. You couldn't lie to save your life, and you were sure every monster you met so far didn't believe that you were even a monster. It was dangerous, too dangerous, you would get the two of you killed. 

"Sans," The skeleton grunted, but didn't look at you as the two of you trudged back to the town for your lunch break. "this is such a bad idea. You need to make some kind of excuse why I couldn't come along."

"there's a lotta people you don't wanna piss off in this place." He said. "doggo's probably one of the one's closer to the top. can't see for shit, but he's got the best sniffer in this dump. he finds the bodies that get trapped under the snow, and he's basically the butcher thanks to it. sometimes he doles out extra work, which means extra food. you piss him off, he cuts you out. got it?"

So it was basically office politics, but in an underground world that had gone to hell. Yup, that made sense. "Fine, but if he can smell dead bodies in the snow, then how are we going to disguise my smell? Wearing your clothes isn't gonna cut it."

The two of you entered the town, and you snuggled deeper into your scarf, and stuffed your hands into your pockets. At lunch hour, the entire town was far more busy that it typically was. People were coming in and out of shops, some people stopped by the Christmas tree in the middle of the town, sifting through the colorfully wrapped packages, and others stopped to talk to each other in small groups. It was during this time that the town didn't look like something out of 'Twilight Zone' and looked more like a slightly run down version of those Christmas card towns. All that was missing was reindeer flying through the sky, and Santa throwing gold glitter through the air, while everyone stared up at him in awe. Then again, with this state of affairs, everyone would probably gain up on him, and roast the old man over a fire, and rip him apart for Christmas dinner. 

Sans stopped at the local general store, and bought some kind of meat filled dough bun in the shape of a rabbit, before dragging you deeper into the town. He didn't begin speaking until he swallowed the last bit, and coincidentally, was finally trudging up his ice slicked stair case. "the best way to hide your-gack!" You grabbed the back of his coat when you felt yourself loose footing on the second stair, instead of falling over like you expected him to, he remained standing, successfully keeping you from falling. He glanced back at you, his single pupil shining a bit brighter than it had earlier, but his smile was still in place. You let go of him and quickly opened the door, shuddering from the sudden change of temperature. "we're gonna need to make a run to hotland."

"There's a desert down here too?"

"eh, sorta."  He went straight to the kitchen, and opened up a cabinet. It was filled with some canned meat, a few mouse traps that looked too big for normal mice, and a two bottles of water. He plucked them down from the cabinet, and handed you one. "don't chug it all right away. you'll get die-hydrated."

"..."

Your eyes narrowed as your processed what he said. Was that...Was that a pun? Good grief, was he making light of you potentially dying via dehydration? And also, why were you surprised that he would potentially find that funny? You were almost disappointed with yourself now. You shook your head and put the bottle in the ridiculously deep pocket of your jacket. "So are we skipping out on work?"

"ya know my style."

"No, I just know that there wouldn't be enough time to leave this area and-"

He grabbed your arm, and twisted you around, almost causing your head to collide with his axe, before shoving you forward. "yeah, i know, you don't have a sense of humor. let's go."

* * *

You were surprised when Sans led you to a small river bank on the edge of town, instead of leading you to the entrance to Waterfall. Sitting in the water was a creaky brown boat that had a cloaked person standing on the bow. No matter how much you squinted and tilted your head, you couldn't see past the shadow created by the hood. Sans got on the boat first, before holding out his hand for you to take. You fingers curled around the cold bones, before hauling yourself onto the boat, your grip tightening on Sans when you were actually aboard. You'd never been on a boat before, not even those cute swan ones whenever the carnival came around during the early fall. You weren't very fond of the beach, for obvious reasons, and those same obvious reasons made you believe you were capable of sinking a boat. You weren't ashamed of your body, but you were smart enough to know that your body type had an affect on anything with a weight limit. 

"Tra la la~ Where would you like to go? Tra la la~."  The voice was cheery, you could practically see a smile with their words. It was such a heavy contrast from their get up, and the entire place they lived at. You wondered if they were one of those 'cup half empty' type of people. 

"hotland."

You felt the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, and the air around you surge. You yelped and grabbed onto Sans, half expecting to fly into the water at the insane speed the boat was going at. You couldn't bring yourself to stare out and onto the water, almost sure that you would vomit everywhere. For a half a moment you heard the song in your head tighten, but it was gone as soon as it came. Maybe Sans was scared of the speed too? Or he didn't want you clinging to him. Yeah, that was probably the right answer. 

"Beware the crack within you, Tra la la~." Through your closed eyelids, you could see two red eyes staring at you. The voice became lower, sounds wet and gurgled, almost like they had water in their lungs. You tried to open your eyes, but you could feel something cold pressed against your eyes, as if keeping them from being opened. You wanted to open your mouth, but your mouth was so dry, the skin on your lips blistering and blood seeping into your mouth."For the crack only widens even more, tra. la. la."

You snapped your eyes open as a high pitched laugh filled your head, but when you looked around, you were no longer on the boat. You were laying on something lumpy yet wrm, yet when your hands scrapped against the thing, it felt crusty. You blinked and sat up, a moan escaping your lips when you felt a dull thudding in your head. You gasped when you felt a breeze caress your skin, and you noticed you weren't wearing clothes. You quickly covered your chest and core, slowly getting up on your knees, your eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. You could see the outline of a fan, and lumps on the floor, this was...It was Sans' room. You knew that musty and metallic smell anywhere, you wore it more often than not. 

"Sans?"

You heard something shift next to you, before you could see Sans clearly in the darkness. His bones stuck out like a sore thumb, and his red pupil glowed like a small flame. a gasp escaped your lips, and you fell back on your ass, your grip on your body becoming tighter as the skeleton loomed over you, his hands on either side of your head, his skull so close to your own. "look who finally showed up to the party."

"Why are we back here?" 

"passed out on the boat. ya didn't even notice when i dragged you through hotland." He brought his skull closer to your neck, his nasal cavity scrapping against your neck. You shuddered, but he seemed to ignore it in favor of continuing the...you were reluctant to call it affection. "almost fixed the problem."

"Almost?" 

He pushed himself up to his knees, and you heard something clank together, before you felt his hand pick up your own. You felt something cold and round in your hand, about the size of a butter tube, and felt like cheap metal. You were careful with the way you held it, not wanting to pop it in your hand. "that's got a compound that'll hide your scent. rub it on your front, and i'll hit you from behind." You popped open the lid, and something rotten permeated into the room. You gagged, a complaint on your lips, but you quickly swallowed it. You couldn't be selfish, Papyrus needed this extra food. You pushed yourself up, and twisted yourself around so Sans had access to your back. 

"Sans, I can't see." You dipped your finger into the slimy mixture, revulsion coursing through your veins, and making your stomach flip. "I'll make a mess."

"place is already a mess." He stated as he leaned over you, fingers dipping into the bottle. You could feel his ribs pressing against your back, they felt solid and oddly warm. "i uh, kept the lights off so you won't go whining about me seeing you."

That was oddly considerate of him, you didn't think he actually listened to your ranting. You muttered your thanks as you began applying the foul smelling gunk on your body. Initial contact felt slimy, and almost like cool mint being rubbed on you, before it gave away to a dull tingle. It would have even been pleasant if it wasn't for the smell, and the fact you could feel warm bones kneed your skin. At times there was just a light pressure, barely a feather's touch, before the pressure increased and you thought you would feel bruises form under his bones. You paused in your own work, eyes shut as you basked in his touch. It actually felt nice, very different from the manhandling he always directed towards you. It'd been awhile since someone didn't drag you around, or push you to do what they wanted. His fingers scrapped down your sides, and you spine curled as you leaned forward. You felt goosebumps raise on your skin, and your face heat up. Enjoying not being thrown around wasn't cheating, right? It was just like when your husband's cousin would give you a back massage, it was platonic and didn't cross any lines. Granted that was his job, and you didn't have a soul mate thing going on with him, but it was still similar!

A gasp escaped your lips when you felt his fingers rub the middle of your spine, and began making their way lower. "S-Sans, please-"

He paused, and you heard cloth shift, before you felt more weight on your back. "yeah?" He dragged his fingers harder, causing pain to spike, but also your libido. "use your words, treat."

Your fingers curled into the sheets, and you took a deep breath through your nose, before pushing yourself up, and twisting around to face him. His face looked the same as ever, that stupid smile that always looked far too amused no matter the situation. Some of the gunk had gotten on the side of his face, you reached up and pressed your fingers against his skull, and slowly scooped the gunk onto your fingers. His eye was trained on you as you slowly brought your finger back, and began massaging the gunk onto your left breast. You heard the melody in your head tighten, but it remained that way, instead of changing back like it never happened. You felt powerful with Sans staring at you like this, like you finally held some kind of power over him instead of the other way around. It was intoxicating, really, and you were loathe to stop. You leaned forward, your body only inches from his, your fingers squeezing your tits just a little bit harder, before you gave him a sweet smile. "Sans, please be a dear and get my clothes."

You heard the music in your head erupt into a fury of noise, before it almost silenced altogether. You heard cloth shift, before there was a click, and the light turned on. You narrowed your eyes, trying to get used to the sudden onslaught of light, while you heard Sans mutter to himself close to you. Cloth shifted, before something fell next to you. A quick test to make sure you wouldn't go blind, you opened up your eyes, and your nose wrinkled when the first thing you saw was your skin. It was layered in a gray mass that had specks of pale blue, and had an almost glimmer like quality. It looked like those anti-aging masks you saw on TV, or the acne fighting cream. You held up your hand to the light, and spread your fingers, the muck making slimy strings between your digits. Your vision was masked by musty smelling cloth hitting you full in the face, there was a metallic undertone to it.

Sans' clothes.

You ripped the cloth off your head, and discovered it was a white shirt. Specifically the one he had been wearing today. "Not trying to impress anyone, are we?"

"wear it and shuddup." He pulled a new shirt over his head. "we're goin' whether you're ready or not."

You scrambled to dress, the clothes almost sticking to you thanks to the mystery compound. Well, clearly someone didn't like getting teased, you filed the thought away as you got off the bed, following Sans out the room and downstairs. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I write this? This chapter is terrible...I HATE filler chapters guys. I mean, this was necessary, but...
> 
> Whatever, you guys don't wanna hear me whine. So! The two bonded a little bit, and Sans showed he was at least kinda listening when it came to her boundaries. Of course, things escalated anyway, because Sans, and apparently Treat, is an asshole. XD
> 
> Know what isn't an asshole? My tumblr! http://nihilismpastry.tumblr.com/


	32. Chapter 32

 

So, this is not a proper update. BUT, before you exit out and ignore this message, I want to tell you all that I have rewritten this story into something better. I feel that my writing has improved recently, and because of that, I wanted to write the same story, just improved. I want to give this story a higher quality, but with the same characters you all love. Some chapters and scenarios will probably make a reappearance, while others will disappear entirely.  I promise I'm not abandoning this story, just trying to improve on something you already like. I have the first chapter published, and am working on extra chapters as well. I will likely be updating this story twice a day to try and catch up to the relationship point that we have crawled to in the story. Don't worry, it will still be a slow burn, I have no intentions of changing that. If you'd like to read the new story, [here is the link](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9557231/chapters/21609554). Thank you all so much for the support you've given me over the last few months, and I hope you enjoy the new iteration of this story. 


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